Rhine-Alpine News

29.08.2022

Hydrogen trains to replace diesel locomotives on non-electrified tracks /

Coradia iLint, © Alstom/Sabrina Adeline Nagel

Coradia iLint, © Alstom/Sabrina Adeline Nagel

Despite numerous electrification projects in several countries, a significant part of Europe’s rail network will remain non-electrified in the long term. In many countries, the number of diesel trains in circulation is still high. The Coradia iLint from Alstom is the world’s first passenger train to run on a hydrogen fuel cell that generates electrical energy for propulsion. Specifically developed for use on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operation while maintaining high performance. Alstom currently has four contracts for hydrogen fuel cell powered regional trains, 3 of which are in the Rhine-Alpine Corridor. Two are in Germany, the first for 14 Coradia iLint trains in the region of Lower Saxony, and the second for 27 Coradia iLint trains in the Frankfurt metropolitan area. The third contract comes from Italy where Alstom is building 6 Coradia Stream hydrogen trains in the region of Lombardy – with the option for 8 more, while the fourth is in France for 12 Coradia Polyvalent hydrogen trains shared across four different French regions.

See full press release here: https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2022/8/world-premiere-14-coradia-ilint-start-passenger-service-first-100

Railway project for a new/upgraded line between Mannheim and Karlsruhe – Preparation of the spatial planning procedure started

Source: DB Netz AG, https://www.mannheim-karlsruhe.de

Source: DB Netz AG, https://www.mannheim-karlsruhe.de

The rail network between Mannheim and Karlsruhe is one of the most important rail connections in Europe. The section is part of the so-called Middle Rhine Corridor, on which goods are transported between the regions and the deep-sea ports of Rotterdam and Genoa. Two additional railway tracks are to be built between Mannheim and Karlsruhe, which will primarily be used for long-distance freight traffic. An additional capacity of 250 to 350 freight trains per day is needed in the future. A complex and multi-stage process is currently being used to determine the areas over which the rails could run. The line corridors developed by DB are evaluated in their sub-segments with regard to so-called spatial resistance – interventions in nature and landscape as well as effects on people and habitats. In the course of 2023, the so found application variant will then be included as an application route in a spatial planning procedure at the competent regional authority (Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe (RPK)), which is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2023. This is followed by a broad participation of the affected municipalities, specialist authorities and the public through the RPK. As a result, the authority creates a spatial planning procedure with an integrated spatial planning environmental impact assessment. The spatial planning procedure is the first step in upgrading and building new tracks between Mannheim and Karlsruhe. It is followed by the preliminary planning, design and approval planning, execution planning and years later the construction phase. The new/upgraded line will be operational not before 2035.

Source (in German): https://www.mannheim-karlsruhe.de/

State aid: Commission proposes rules to simplify procedures for State aid to green transport

Source: Image by NakNakNak from Pixabay

Source: Image by NakNakNak from Pixabay

The European Commission has proposed a Council Regulation enabling the Commission to exempt from prior notification under EU State aid rules certain types of aid for rail, inland waterway and multimodal transport, with the objective of promoting green transport. Following the adoption of the proposed Regulation by Council, the Commission intends to adopt a Block Exemption Regulation relieving Member States from the obligation of prior notification to the Commission of aid measures falling within these categories. This will provide legal certainty, simplify procedures and cut red tape for Member States, while allowing the Commission to focus its State aid control on the potentially most distortive cases. In addition, this will enable the transport sector to embrace the green and digital transition in line with the EU’s strategic objectives, in particular those of the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. The proposed Regulation will now be discussed in Council.

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_4311

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