but why? Why not just put up overhead wires or at least use battery electric locomotives?
I seriously hope, that this is just a stopgap solution so they don’t have to scrap/retrofit their existing fleet.
If not, oh boy.
We’re having the same discussion here in Austria. There is a train line in the Alps where the NIMBYs have stopped electrification because it’s so ugly and now they’re trying to force a hydrogen train despite even the train company saying they’d rather go with batteries if they can’t electrify. Fits perfectly with our conservative government trying to make hydrogen cars happen, because they believe that will keep the local car manufacturers afloat.
It would be nutso expensive to electrify all that track. And it’s easier to refuel than changing locomotive, or battery packs, or waiting to charge.
As the other commenter said, this is a good stopgap and might be a stepping stone to more hydrogen vehicle uptake for transport.
They’re already working on producing hydrogen through completely renewable alternatives. Plus hydrogen engines give us capacity for off planet travel, being that it’s the most abundant element in the universe it has better capacity and future proofing than current battery based systems and is much more environmentally friendly than the amount of wiring up it would take across whole countries and continents in the future.
I’ve noticed a strange amount of people in the fediverse that are against Hydrogen. They’re like anti-nuclear activists.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re in the “If it’s not perfect it’s not good enough” camp.
its a lot cheaper to replace a locomotive than it is to electrify thousands of kilometers of track
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