IRISH RAIL AND LATVIA'S DIGAS TO TRIAL EUROPE’S FIRST RETROFITTED HYDROGEN FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE

Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, operator of the national railway network of Ireland and provider of passenger and freight rail services, and DIGAS, a global trailblazer in instant decarbonisation solutions for the railway sector, have signed a contract to retrofit a freight diesel locomotive from diesel fuel to hydrogen as a proof of concept. The purpose of the €1.5m project is to help decarbonise the operations of Iarnród Éireann diesel locomotives, assist the company in meeting its goals as a Sustainable Development Goal champion, increase the competitiveness of the company and reduce carbon exhaust emissions.

Based on the agreement, Iarnród Éireann will provide the 071 Class Diesel Locomotive for the conversion as well as make the workshop available for the installation, testing and commissioning activities. DIGAS will manufacture deliver and install a Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2 ICE) retrofit kit to convert the diesel locomotive to a hydrogen-powered locomotive. The conversion will allow the locomotive to run on renewable, emissions-free fuel instead of diesel fuel. As part of the agreement, the two companies will share technical and commercial information necessary for DIGAS to design, manufacture, install, and support the commissioning of the Hydrogen conversion kit and allow Iarnród Éireann to properly test a retrofitted locomotive.

Unlike other hydrogen projects in the rail sector where hydrogen is used to run locomotives via fuel cells or through specially produced hydrogen engines, this project will showcase a unique approach where hydrogen will be used in the locomotive’s current internal combustion engine.

This innovative technology requires minimal change to be done to the locomotive If successful, the project will showcase a more practical and cost-effective way to decarbonise and run the existing diesel locomotive fleet with hydrogen-powered engines.

The project is currently in the design process and scheduled for two testing phases across 2024 and 2025. Phase 1 will be focused on static testing of the locomotion to check power and emissions output. Phase 2 will follow in 2025 and focus on service trials of the locomotion out on the rails. All designs and testing standards are subject to approval from the Commission for Railway Regulation (CRR).

The project is funded by Iarnród Éireann and DIGAS, and co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility, a body of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and Mechanical Engineering Competence Center, a Latvian body receiving funding from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility. The work under the contract has commenced on both sides with an objective to test a retrofitted hydrogen locomotive in 2024. As part of the agreement, Iarnród Éireann will bring the partners into the project who will provide hydrogen refuelling for the retrofitted locomotive.