A prestigious train project in Germany, aimed at introducing a fleet of hydrogen-powered locomotives to the railway system, has fallen flat despite over €50 million in government investments.
As part of the German ‘Energiewende‘, the country’s transition to so-called green energy, the Taurus project was set to be a shining example of clean energy use for public transport.
More than €50 million of taxpayer money was put into the project, including €24 million for a hydrogen filling station.
The money was part of a larger €500 million from various investors, the Frankfurter Neue Presse reports.
But rather than being a shining beacon for the rest of Europe, the project has reportedly failed. Most trains stand in depots, waiting to be repaired because the technology is unreliable.
Rather than travelling in vehicles emitting only water and vapour, many German travellers now find themselves struggling with bus timetables and emergency rail solutions running on diesel.
“The heads of administration of the Hochtaunus municipalities express their displeasure at the fact that the Taunus network can only rely on unreliability”, the Frankfurter Neue Presse wrote.
Alstom SA, the French transportation industry and rail transport multinational behind the vehicles, is unable to get the trains rolling, citing material bottlenecks and “limited functionality of individual fuel cells”.
The company is said to be “overwhelmed” by “extraordinary” conditions. They say there is a “limited functionality of individual fuel cells”.
Observers such as the head of the fuel cell technology laboratory at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Enno Wagner, argue that the technical issues cited as an excuse are due to hydrogen technology not yet being mature enough for daily train operations, making it unreliable.
Fuel cell technology is highly complex and new in everyday and broad use. “This requires extensive field tests, which should also be supported by the state. ”
As such, Germany’s decision to replace a complete fleet with the new locomotives immediately “may have been a bit premature”, Wagner said last year.
Alstom promised to increase the availability of the hydrogen-powered trains at short notice, expand the workshop staff and technical support, as well as renew hardware components and install software updates.
The fleet will also go through a modernisation program for the fuel cells, starting somewhere in 2025.
The responsible public transport network in Germany, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), one of the largest in the country, is now reportedly looking for a way out.
It is reportedly “desperate” and investigating if it is possible to terminate certain contracts
Ulrich Krebs, District Administrator and member of the Christian Democratic Union, said that “constant planning in the operational process is no longer acceptable” and called for the return of diesel trains.
Krebs, who is also the chairman of the RMV supervisory board, is open to terminating the €500 million project despite the 25-year contract.
To what extent a termination of the contracts would even be legally possible, the RMV has so far remained tight-lipped, the Frankfurter Neue Presse said.
Reportedly, the Taunus project has been struggling for almost two years.
In response to enquiries about an exit strategy, the RMV press office reportedly is tersely and evasive, stating that they insist on adherence to the agreements reached. Alstom is required under these contracts to supply enough vehicles for efficient operations.
According to the RMV, Alstom has already been slapped with sanctions and will cover the “follow-up costs of the poor quality of the trains.” This includes the increased repair costs, among other things.
Additionally, the manufacturer is required to supply replacement train carriages and, if required, cover the expenses of bus transportation in place of rail.
On top of all this, maintenance payments to the corporation would be slashed. It is alleged that a significant portion of these payments were not made in 2023.
