Even though travelling by train is already an eco-conscious alternative to taking the plane or driving our individual cars, there’s always room for improvement. In a world where many locomotives run on electricity or diesel, it was about time for new innovations to pop up. The first-ever hydrogen-powered train service saw the light of day in Germany last year and now it’s time for North America to hop on the train. After the first successful permanent mission in Germany, the Alstom Coradia iLint is now crossing the ocean and setting foot in Canada.
Alstom, a French transport manufacturer, is slowly but surely becoming the main party when it comes to sustainable railway transportation. And they’ve got a good reason to expand their business to Canada.
With only 1% of the networks electrified in our region, this technology will provide an alternative to diesel. This project will demonstrate our capabilities to provide more sustainable mobility solutions to customers, agencies and operators, as well as to passengers.
Michael Keroullé, Alstom Americas president
In order to be able to take bring the project to a successful conclusion, Alstom is gathering forces with the Government of Quebec, the Chemin de fer Charlevoix, the Train de Charlevoix, Harnois Énergies and HTEC.
Très fier qu’Alstom ait choisi le Québec pour tester son train à hydrogène vert sur le tronçon Québec-Charlevoix! Le Québec montre qu’il est en train de devenir un leader mondial de l’économie verte. On veut être le premier État carboneutre en Amérique du Nord. pic.twitter.com/p5yk2U4NCB
— François Legault (@francoislegault) February 2, 2023
Speedy train
So how can you hop aboard? The Coradia iLint in Canada will run between the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency just outside Québec and the Baie-St-Paul. Usually, the Réseau Charlevoix rail network is responsible for passenger transport on this piece of railroad but between June 17th and September 30th, passengers will be able to use the hydrogen-powered train developed by Alstom. At a maximum speed of 140 kilometers an hour, the route will take about 90 minutes to complete. The train is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that emits only water vapor during operation, while ensuring a quieter environment for passengers and those close to tracks, as the press release states.
As the Coradia iLint will be hitting the Canadian railroads during summertime, there will be a special tourist offer as well to make sure you get the most out of your route as possible. Therefore, an eco-agro tourism tour will be set up that will allow visitors to book a guided tour with a local guide, stopping – amongst others – at three different local breweries. Good thing you’ll be able to get home by train afterwards!
