The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority signed a contract this week for the purchase of a one-of-a-kind zero-emission train for use in the upcoming train service linking San Bernardino and Redlands.

The new self-contained, hydrogen fuel-cell powered train would be the first of its kind operating in the United States, said SBCTA spokesman Otis Greer.

The contract between the SBCTA and Stadler, a Swiss train manufacturing firm, is valued at $23 million.

Fuel-cell technology is a kind of battery that uses hydrogen and oxygen in a chemical reaction to make energy. Fuel cells today are used to power buildings and automobiles, emitting only water vapor but no pollutants.

The power pack and hydrogen tanks would be located on board the train, in between two train cars. The self-contained, pollution-free train would be a major change from diesel-powered locomotives, which produce smog precursors and greenhouses gases that contribute to global climate change.

In 2021 or early 2022, SBCTA and Metrolink are scheduled to begin operation of the 9-mile Redlands Passenger Rail Project, which will connect the University of Redlands to the San Bernardino Metrolink Station using clean-diesel engine locomotives known as Diesel Multiple Units, or DMUs.

In 2024, the agencies will introduce the Zero Emission Multiple Unit, or ZEMU, to the Redlands-San Bernardino line. The contract signed Wednesday, Nov. 14, includes an option for the purchase of four more ZEMUs, so that the entire line eventually would run on the zero-polluting trains, Greer said.

“The goal is to use the exact same trains but replace their propulsion systems with the zero-emission units,” he said.

“Implementing innovative solutions like this first-of-its-kind passenger train is an excellent example of how we are demonstrating our commitment to the next generation in San Bernardino County,” SBCTA president Darcy McNaboe said in a prepared statement.

The ZEMU train will have seating space for 108 passengers plus standing room. It is expected to transport passengers at a maximum speed of 79 mph.

Stadler is headquartered in Bussnang in Eastern Switzerland.