The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is underway with the Hydrogen train trail as the country aims to adopt more sustainability in its transportation system.

As per the report shared by the Saudi Press Agency or SPA on October 8, Sunday, the SAR (Saudi Arabia Railways) made an announcement regarding signing an agreement with the  French train firm Alstom.The launch of Hydrogen trains will undergo many operational experiments, studies, and tests to prepare these trains which will be a perfect fit for the kingdom’s environment before launching them for a fully fedge service.

The Saudi Arabian Minister of Transportation and Logistics and chairman of the SAR board of directors, Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser said, “The step is part of plans to move to a more sustainable transport system that adopts the latest smart technologies. SAR is committed to its leading role in achieving the Saudi Green Initiative, stemming from the Saudi Vision 2030, which stipulates increasing the kingdom’s reliance on clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and protecting the environment.”

Hydrogen is a valuable source of energy that can be produced from natural gas and other renewable energies.

Dr. Bashar Al-Malik, chief executive of SAR said, “The hydrogen train is one of the most important innovations in sustainable transport as the energy needed for the operation and movement of such trains is generated without emitting carbon. Their range of benefits make them an attractive choice in the drive for sustainable energy, and they have a positive impact on the environment, economy, and the future of coming generations.”

The chief executive of Saudi Arabia Railways, Dr. Bashar Al-Malik conveyed the commitments of his company to implement and aim for the important initiatives that line up with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy of Saudi Arabia.

How does it work?

The whole process is about a simple chemical reaction. A combined reaction between Hydrogen and Oxygen helps to create energy in the fuel cells of Hydrogen. Inside the hydrogen trains, the hydrogen gas has to be kept in the high-pressure tanks.

The stored hydrogen combines with airborne oxygen and water vapor inside the fuel cell to create energy. The motor inside helps to move the wheels of the train using the created eclectic energy source. Hydrogen trains can effectively achieve the same speed as other electric and diesel trains. The trains can be used for long-distance transport and are as easily refillable as the diesel trains.

The major benefit of hydrogen trains is this is environment friendly, as it only absorbs water vapor, which is equally a healthy choice for railway transit.

To come up with a sustainable transportation system with many hydrogen trains must be required to produce hydrogen in large amounts, and store and transport them for further use, which may take and develop the system with time. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plans to start the trial of hydrogen trains for the first time in the Middle Eastern region within October 2023.