The trains will run as part of a pilot project implemented by the Romanian Railway Authority. The project and budget also includes long-term maintenance and repair services for the locomotives, and hydrogen supply and refueling.
Romanian financial newspaper, Ziarul Financiar, reported that Ionel Scrioșteanu, state secretary at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in Romania revealed at a government meeting on Wednesday (July 20) that the project will serve high frequency services on routes north of Bucharest and Ilfov County, in connection with neighboring counties Argeş, Dâmboviţa and Giurgiu. Due to the reliability of the new vehicles, the trains may reach Olt and Dolj counties.
The project is being financed through the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s state budget.
“Replacing diesel traction with electric traction based on hydrogen fuel cells reduces transport pollution by 18,348 tons of CO2 per year and 306 tons of NOx per year, thus contributing to the objectives of European and national strategies to achieve the net zero effect of pollution in 2050,” Scrioșteanu said in a statement on Facebook.
The news follows the European Commission’s positive assessment of Romania’s €29.2bn (US$33.8bn) National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which includes funding of €3.9bn (US$4.5bn) for the development of a green and climate friendly railway system.