THE Dutch province of Groningen has cancelled a tender for the supply of four hydrogen-powered trains to operate regional services after no bids were received from rolling stock manufacturers.
The tender was launched in November 2022 with a budget of €60m, conducted jointly by the province and Arriva Netherlands, which operates regional services on non-electrified lines in Groningen.
The province believes that the size of the order, combined with many new train specifications requiring tailor-made solutions, has deterred manufacturers from bidding as it would require substantial effort for such a small production run.
Hydrogen is Groningen’s preferred option for meeting its objective of replacing diesel traction by 2035. The province is strongly supporting the local production of green hydrogen using electricity generated by wind turbines.
Locally-produced hydrogen would be used to power other public services, including the provincial bus network. Groningen considers that electrification would be too expensive for the lines covered by the regional operating concession that it administers.
Groningen is now considering train leasing rather than acquisition to meet its objective of introducing a hydrogen fleet from 2027. An Alstom iLint train powered by hydrogen was successfully tested in Groningen in March 2020.
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