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Teesside could become home to the UK's first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains.

Arriva, one of Europe's leading providers of passenger transport, wants to build a major facility on Teesside - to fuel and maintain ten HMU (Hydrogen Multiple Unit) trains.

It is eyeing up potential sites at Thornaby and Lackenby, with the first ultra-green trains expected to run by June 2021.

An initial screening report has been lodged with Stockton Council, in a move that could help cement Teesside's plans to be at the "centre of the UK's growing hydrogen economy".

(Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)

The Government wants to take all diesel-only trains off UK tracks by 2040.

Hydrogen as a fuel gives enough range and is potentially zero-carbon, if used alongside renewables.

And Teesside, which produces half the UK's entire hydrogen supply through its heavy industries, is seen as the natural place to start.

If the project is successful, it could be rolled out across the Northern and wider National Rail networks.

"In the longer term," Arriva's application says, "it is anticipated that this project will not only provide a solution for the Tees Valley, but that the learning from this project will have potential applications both across other ARN [Arriva Rail Network] operations and the UK rail industry as a whole."

"Plans for a new maintenance and fuelling facility will be required on Teesside, in the heart of the designated operating area for the hydrogen fleet," it continued.

Hydrogen-powered trains, it added, are "completely free of harmful emissions both at point of use" and also "free from the emission of nitrous oxides and particulate matter."

Hydrogen trains only have a range of around 600 miles compared to 1,500 for diesel-powered and must be refuelled daily, which means there's a need for a depot close to Teesside.

A "number of safety mitigations" would also be put in place to minimise risks, the report added.

"In the unlikely event of a hydrogen fuel leak," the report says, "the released gas will disperse upwards in to the atmosphere, where this non-toxic gas will rapidly dilute and disperse."

The project also fits in with plans by the Tees Valley Combined Authority for Teesside to become a "centre of a national hydrogen economy".

(Image: Rob Browne/Walesonline)

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has launched a successful £1.3m bid to bring a fleet of hydrogen cars, buses - even bin lorries - and refuelling stations - to the region.

It is estimated the hydrogen sector could add up to £7bn to the region’s economy between 2018 and 2050 and create around 1,000 jobs.

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