SIEMENS MOBILITY: FIRST HYDROGEN FLEET AT THE WILDENRATH TEST CENTER

Siemens Mobility has built seven two-car Mireo Plus H trains for Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB). The last train in the series left the factory in Krefeld on October 30, 2023, and was transferred to the Siemens Mobility test centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath near Mönchengladbach.

Following the basic electrical and mechanical functions tested at the Krefeld plant, further in-depth tests are now being carried out at the Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Center (PCW). The extensive type tests being conducted here include electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests and brake tests. As these tests, required for official approval of the trains and their operational stability, are conducted, the new trains will be prepared step by step statically and dynamically for operation and ultimately drive their first meters on their own. Final approval by the relevant rail authorities, including the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and the German Federal Railway Authority (EBA), will be granted only when all of these tests have been successfully completed.

In addition, NEB’s train drivers will be trained on the new Mireo Plus H at the Siemens Mobility test centre starting in mid-2024 to ensure that the company’s operating personnel is ready for deployment on the Heidekrautbahn as of December 2024.

The train manufacturer Siemens Mobility was commissioned by Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn in 2022 to deliver seven two-car Mireo Plus H trains for the Heidekrautbahn network in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region. This marked the first series order at Siemens Mobility for a train fleet employing hydrogen technology. Progress is also being made on the order for 31 Mireo Plus B trains for the East Brandenburg network: The first battery-powered train is scheduled to leave the Siemens plant in Krefeld in the new year and will also be transferred to the Wildenrath centre for final testing.

The use of hydrogen-powered trains on the Heidekrautbahn is part of a scientifically supported joint pilot project funded by the federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. The project is focused on setting up a regional, sustainable hydrogen infrastructure that also includes a hybrid power plant and a hydrogen storage facility. The Heidekrautbahn will be the first rail network in the Berlin-Brandenburg region operating hydrogen-powered trains for public transport. Ultimately, all train operations on the RB27 route will be carried out exclusively with green energy – renewable and regionally produced. The switch from diesel fuel to hydrogen on the Heidekrautbahn will reduce annual CO2 emissions by around three million kilograms and save 1.1 million litres of diesel.

The partners have created a joint website with information about the hydrogen project, its stakeholders, and updates on the progress being made.

The project “Use of hydrogen fuel cell drives in local transport in the Barnim district” is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Transport as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by lead partner Jülich.