Stadler’s hydrogen-powered FLIRT H2 train has set a new Guinness World Record for travelling the longest distance as a pilot hydrogen fuel cell electric multiple unit passenger train without refuelling or recharging.

Stadler presented the FLIRT H2 to the public for the first time at InnoTrans 2022 in Berlin. A significant number of detailed solutions were developed to integrate fuel cells and hydrogen storage systems into the modern FLIRT commuter train product line. These solutions have since been tested thoroughly, first in Switzerland and more recently on a dedicated test ring in Colorado in the United States.

Close to completion of testing, the company was eager to prove the reliability and capability of this innovative train. To do so, an attempt to set a new records title for the range of the hydrogen train without refueling or recharging was undertaken under the close watch of the Guinness World Records adjudication team.

The world record journey started in the evening of 20 March 2024 where the train set out for its first laps around the test track at the ENSCO test center in Pueblo, Colorado where the vehicle had undergone its type test procedure. The team of engineers from Stadler and ENSCO continued driving the vehicle in shifts throughout the night and following day and concluded the successful attempt between 22 March and 23 March. Altogether, the train travelled 2,803 kilometers (1,741.7 miles) for over 46 hours on one tank filling.

With this, Stadler’s FLIRT H2 officially holds the world record for the longest distance travelled by a hydrogen-powered passenger train without refueling or recharging.

Source: Stadler

Image: Stadler