Spain is about to revolutionize rail transport. Talgo, the Spanish train manufacturer that the Hungarian group has courted unsuccessfully Hungarian wagonthe world is surprised by the development of the the first high-speed hydrogen trainan innovation that attracted the attention of the sector because it could be a sign before and after in the design of the railway networks and that surprised even the magazine Forbes .
The use of hydrogen technology for trains is not entirely new, however Until now it had only been implemented in commuter trains or. However, Talgo’s commitment to applying it to high-speed trains is a milestone that, according to experts, could change the way train lines are planned around the world.
The biggest challenge for hydrogen-powered trains has always been the ability to store enough fuel on board to enable long, high-speed journeys. Until now, traditional solutions, such as overhead electrification cables (OHC) through which the catenary passes, have been the norm. However, building and maintaining these systems is expensive and complex. Overhead cable electrification, invented in Russia in the 19th century, has proven to be durable, but has significant limitations.
“High-speed hydrogen trains seemed like a distant goal because of the technical difficulties of storing enough fuel on board,” he explains to the magazine. Forbes Stan Thompson, co-founder of the Mooresville Hydraulics Project. “With Talgo, it seems that this obstacle was overcome faster than we expected,” he notes.
The revolutionary hydrogen train Talgo It offers the opportunity to eliminate the need for costly and visually invasive overhead cables from rail projects. According to Thompson, it costs just 900 meters of track to electrify with a conventional OHC system and build a hydrogen refueling station that can supply an entire train line. In addition, the maintenance cost of the cables is high, making hydrogen a more profitable option in the long term.
Talgo’s hydrogen train not only represents technological progress but also a clear commitment to a more sustainable future. At a time when the need to reduce carbon emissions is a priority, these types of innovations open the door to a new era in rail transport. Countries with low population density, such as the US or Canada, where long distances and sparse electrified infrastructure make the development of high-speed train networks difficult, could benefit from this technology.