UK: Hydrogen has a modest but potentially critical role to play in rail decarbonisation, and the government should set out the lessons learned from hydrogen trains abroad, according to a report from the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee.
The committee says hydrogen is not a panacea for reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, but it could have a role in particular applications such as rail routes where electrification is not suitable or cannot be delivered in time.
The report says that although hydrogen train trials and demonstration projects are underway in the UK, there is no clear plan to develop the role of hydrogen in the rail sector.
The committee says the government should set out the lessons it has learned from the use of hydrogen trains overseas, and how it will use this information in the UK. The government and industry should also identify lines where it is unlikely that electrification will be viable before 2050, and begin trials of hydrogen trains on these lines in the next five years.
Dr Helen McAllister, Strategy & Planning Director at Network Rail, told the committee that hydrogen was best suited to ‘around 4% or 5%’ of the network in ‘geographically specific’ areas, as ‘an interim technology in areas that would not be electrified until later’.
Committee Chair Greg Clark MP said ‘future decisions on the role of hydrogen must increasingly be practical, taking into account what is technically and economically achievable’.
Going further
The report was welcomed by the Railway Industry Association’s Technical Director David Clarke, who said the suppliers’ association would like to go further.
‘Certainty and clarity are absolutely vital for the supply chain, and that’s why the Science & Technology Committee is right to call for a clear government strategy that sets out both a roadmap for hydrogen production and the priority areas for the roll-out of hydrogen’, he said.
‘While it is welcome that the committee has recommended that the government should work to identify which routes are suitable for hydrogen trains and begin trials within five years, we would go further. Hydrogen technology has already been proven both domestically and internationally, so the government needn’t carry out any further trials and should instead move to fleet orders as soon as possible.
‘A fleet order of new rolling stock would stimulate a new industrial sector, creating and retaining jobs and intellectual property in the UK, whilst accelerating the decarbonisation of the network and supporting future exports. There is an opportunity for UK rail to become a global leader in battery and hydrogen technologies, with rail demand helping to create the UK market necessary to stimulate growth and kick start the zero carbon economy.’
