Alstom is one of the first manufacturers in the world to produce a passenger train using the hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The train uses an electrical traction drive which draws on energy generated by a fuel cell. Electrical energy is produced by exposing hydrogen, which is stored in a fuel tank on board, to oxygen.

Alstom has said the iLint would have comparable acceleration and braking performance to its diesel counterpart and the same top speed, 140 km/h.

The train is CO2-emission-free, claims Alstom, producing only steam and condensed water. It provides an alternative, and potentially cheaper, solution to electrification.

In 2014, Alstom signed a letter of intent with the leaders of Germany’s Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg regions and the public transport authorities of Hesse to develop a zero-emission train using hydrogen fuel cells.

Alstom chairman and chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the project would not have been possible without the support of these regions.

In a statement, he added: “Alstom is proud to launch a breakthrough innovation in the field of clean transportation which will complete its Coradia range of regional trains.

“It shows our ability to work in close collaboration with our customers and develop a train in only two years.”