Hydrogen: next to the Toulouse-Bordeaux LGV, the other major train site
Next to the high-speed train, which obviously interests Occitanie for its Toulouse-Bordeaux link in particular, another major rail project to assist France: the hydrogen train. This received a significant boost with the announcement on Tuesday in Béziers by Emmanuel Macron of an additional credit of 1.9 billion euros for the hydrogen sector as part of the France 2030 plan, in addition to the 7 billion euros already planned.
The hydrogen train, supported by the State to the tune of 47 million euros, is the subject of an experiment in four regions which have ordered Alstom H2 trains: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie. In our region, the Luchon-Montréjeau (Haute-Garonne) line, which was closed in 2014, will see hydrogen trains running by 2025.
“The fine service of the territories”
“Light trains, hydrogen trains are essential for the coherence and balance of the secondary network and for the fine service of the territories”, estimated yesterday in L’Opinion, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, who also mentioned the other type of trainset, Alstom’s iLint, the first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The traction equipment for these hydrogen trains was developed by Alstom in Séméac, near Tarbes.
Occitanie also launched its Green Hydrogen Plan in 2019 to refuel its trainsets. With € 150 million by 2030, it will see the construction of two hydrogen production plants in Port-La-Nouvelle and Luchon. The region, which wants to improve the carbon footprint of its trains, is also working on the hybrid train (diesel / electric / batteries) being tested, and the ACG battery train with SNCF Voyageurs and Bombardier Transport, which will be tested in 2023.