Rethinking hydrogen supply for Europe's railways

While attention often focuses on fuel-cell systems and train technology, the long-term technical and economic viability of hydrogen rail projects also depends on how hydrogen is produced, stored, transported and supplied.

In this article, Maurizia Calvisi, Sales Manager at IMI, examines how decentralised hydrogen production and integrated supply infrastructure could support the development of hydrogen-powered rail transport.

Although rail is already one of the lowest-carbon modes of land transport, a substantial proportion of Europe's regional and secondary railway lines remain unelectrified. Full electrification can be constrained by high capital expenditure, complex permitting processes, low traffic density and geographical challenges.

For these routes, hydrogen-powered trains offer a potential alternative, helping to reduce emissions while maintaining operational flexibility.

Traditionally, hydrogen supply strategies have relied on centralised production facilities that benefit from economies of scale. However, transporting compressed or liquefied hydrogen to railway depots introduces additional capital and operating costs, energy consumption and logistical complexity. These factors can also increase the risk of supply-chain disruption.

As hydrogen demand grows across industry, mobility and energy, the distance between production facilities and end users is becoming an increasingly important consideration. For regional rail operators, logistics can account for a significant proportion of the delivered cost of hydrogen.

An alternative is decentralised hydrogen production through electrolysis at or near railway depots. Producing hydrogen closer to the point of use can reduce transportation requirements and improve security of supply. When powered by renewable electricity, electrolysis can also help minimise lifecycle emissions.

Locating hydrogen infrastructure close to railway depots creates opportunities to co-ordinate electrolysers, storage systems, compression equipment and refuelling stations. System capacity can be matched to train operating schedules, daily fuel consumption and storage requirements to support operational efficiency and supply resilience.

From a process engineering perspective, several factors influence the performance and economic viability of a hydrogen supply system:

Evaluating these parameters together helps project developers assess total cost of ownership and determine whether a project is commercially viable.

Early hydrogen rail initiatives have typically focused on individual operators or depots. Increasingly, however, developers are considering wider hydrogen networks in which production facilities can supply multiple end users.

Across Europe, investment in renewable energy generation and hydrogen infrastructure is creating opportunities to connect rail transport with heavy-duty mobility, industrial users and public-sector applications through shared supply networks. Sharing infrastructure across several users could improve asset utilisation and strengthen the economic case for investment.

Railway depots may provide a useful foundation for these networks because their hydrogen demand can be relatively predictable over time. A dependable source of demand can help support investment in larger electrolysis and storage facilities.

Regional hydrogen hubs could bring renewable electricity generation, electrolysis, compression, storage and consumption together within integrated energy systems. By connecting several users to shared infrastructure, these models have the potential to improve flexibility, reduce the delivered cost of hydrogen and support market development.

The extent of these benefits will depend on local conditions, including energy costs, hydrogen demand, infrastructure requirements and the commercial arrangements supporting each project.

The development of hydrogen-powered rail transport will depend not only on advances in train technology, but also on reliable, scalable and economically viable hydrogen supply infrastructure.

Integrating hydrogen production, distribution, storage and consumption within a co-ordinated system can help operators manage costs, improve supply resilience and make effective use of infrastructure. Decentralised production and regional hydrogen networks offer potential approaches, although each project's suitability will depend on its specific technical, operational and commercial requirements.

For developers and rail operators, taking a whole-system approach to hydrogen supply will be an important consideration when evaluating future projects.

Learn more about IMI's hydrogen solutions.

A version of this article appeared on FuelCellWorks.com in October 2026.