Hydrogen rail transit is a very promising application scenario for hydrogen fuel cells. As one of the earliest countries in the world to develop hydrogen rail trains, China has become the region with the largest hydrogen train market and the most demonstration projects in the world since the first hydrogen train was put into operation in 2019.

Since 2024, various parts of China have begun to accelerate the promotion of hydrogen rail transit related projects. Many hydrogen energy industry chain companies such as CRRC, Reshape Energy, and Rongxin Energy have begun to deeply explore the application opportunities of hydrogen rail transit, and have achieved many achievements such as zero breakthroughs in exports and the rollout of hydrogen rail trains equipped with four-type bottles. This article focuses on the dynamics of hydrogen rail vehicle related projects since the first half of the year.

 

Hong Kong's first hydrogen railcar runs on test run

On July 24, Hong Kong media reported that a hydrogen rail train with the slogan "Explore Hydrogen Energy Application" printed on the body was put into trial operation. The train was produced by Foshan CRRC Sifang Railway Vehicle Co., Ltd. The MTR Corporation submitted documents to the Legislative Council in early July, showing that the MTR Corporation obtained the consent of the government's inter-departmental working group on hydrogen energy in June 2024 to test the train in a non-passenger form for research purposes, and built a low-floor platform for testing near Tuen Mun Jian'an Station. During the trial phase, no passengers will be carried, and the train will be tested in different environments and modes.

China's first Type 4 hydrogen-powered smart rail tram rolls off production line in Sichuan

On July 1, the first hydrogen-powered smart rail tram in China rolled off the assembly line in Yibin. After the hydrogen-powered smart rail tram is put into operation, it can travel more than 200 kilometers on a single hydrogen refueling. The hydrogen-powered smart rail tram was independently developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Institute and will be put into use on the Yibin Smart Rail T4 line in August this year. This is also the first hydrogen-powered smart rail tram in China delivered by CRRC Railway Investment Corporation. The fuel cell system of the vehicle is equipped by Rongxin Energy and uses a 35MPa Type 4 bottle.

Reshape Energy delivers the first hydrogen rail train overseas

On June 28, the first overseas order of hydrogen energy locomotive in China was delivered in the factory at CRRC Qishuyan Locomotive Co., Ltd. The vehicle has a power of 1,000 kilowatts, equipped with large-capacity batteries and a 35MPa high-voltage on-board large-capacity hydrogen storage system. This locomotive is equipped with the PRISMA series fuel cell system independently developed by Reshape Energy, marking a breakthrough in the application of Chinese hydrogen energy locomotives in the international market, and is also another milestone for Reshape Energy to expand the diversified application scenarios of fuel cells.

Changchun's first urban hydrogen train completed a full-load running test at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour

In late March, my country's first independently developed hydrogen-powered urban rail train conducted a full-load running test at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour in Changchun, Jilin, achieving full-system, full-scenario, and multi-level performance verification of the train. The test results showed that when the hydrogen-powered train runs at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, the actual average energy consumption per kilometer is only 5 kilowatt-hours. This also marks a new breakthrough in the application of hydrogen energy in my country's rail transit field.