Midlands Manufacturing Jon Robinson

The UK's first fully operating hydrogen train has been unveiled by The Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education (BCRRE).

The train was showcased at Rail Live 2018, an annual event that brings the entire industry together to showcase UK rail expertise.

The train, named ‘Hydrogen Hero’, has been completely designed and engineered in the UK, and is currently a scaled-down version using technology that is ready to be brought to market with BCRRE industry partners in the coming months.

In February, transport minister Jo Johnson called for diesel-only trains to be phased out as part of a new vision to decarbonise the railway by 2040.

Stuart Hillmansen, senior lecturer in Railway Energy and Power Systems at BCRRE, said: "Hydrogen fuel cell technology is ready for the railway. With our ‘Hydrogen Hero’ train, we want to demonstrate that hydrogen is viable right now for use on the UK railway as a realistic alternative to diesel.

"At BCRRE we are actively innovating and developing practical, market-ready technologies that can transform the UK railway."