USA: California’s Department of Transportation has ordered six more Stadler Flirt H2 hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units.
The $127m order announced on February 15 has been placed using an October 2023 framework contract which included an $80m firm order for four trains with options for up to 25 more.
The trains will have four passenger vehicles and a traction module. The first are expected to enter services in 2027, operating between Merced and Sacramento on the future Valley Rail expansion of the existing Altamont Corridor Express and Amtrak San Joaquin services. They will also be demonstrated throughout the state.
The orders are being funded through California’s $10bn multi-year zero-emission vehicle package, which included $407m for California State Transportation Agency to purchase or lease trains, buses and associated infrastructure.
‘By expanding our fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trainsets, we are showing we are serious about deploying innovative and sustainable transportation options’, said state Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin.
The orders build on work by Stadler and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority to develop a hydrogen fuel cell multiple-unit for the US market; the prototype was unveiled at InnoTrans 2022, and Stadler says it is performing well in pre-revenue testing.
Commenting on the latest order, Stadler EVP Marketing & Sales Ansgar Brockmeyer said ‘given the limited electrification of rail lines in the US, the Flirt H2 proves to be particularly significant. Hydrogen technology enables sustainable mobility as it is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional drives.’
Stadler said it has now sold more than 150 trains with battery or hydrogen drives to customers in the USA, Germany, Italy, Austria and Lithuania.
