CHARLEVOIX : AMERICA’S FIRST HYDROGEN-POWERED TRAIN

By Anne Bourgoin

America’s very first hydrogen-powered passenger train runs in the Charlevoix region. French manufacturer Alstom has delivered two cars to Baie-Saint Paul for the touristic season. They will run between Montmorency Falls and Baie-Saint-Paul, and have a capacity of 120 passengers. The cars will return to Germany at the end of the season.

The Coradia iLint replaces one of the three diesel trains operating on the route as part of a pilot project. The French manufacturer is planning to deploy zero-emission trains in Québec, and is using this project as a showcase. “What we want to demonstrate is a zero-emission rail transport ecosystem. It’s a first in North America, and bodes well for the future,” says Éric Rondeau, director of Alstom’s innovation centre in the Americas.

The Coradia iLint’s only emissions are water vapour, and it has been running in Europe since 2018.