Within the project H2ÚK – Development of the Hydrogen Valley in the Ústí nad Labem Region The Innovation Center of the Ústí nad Labem (ICUK) is actively involved in mapping specific opportunities for the use of hydrogen in regional practice. One of the most tangible ones is the transformation of non-electrified railway lines, and it was here that a very interesting impulse was heard at a recent strategic meeting in Ústí nad Labem.
A meeting that opened new horizons
Representatives of Stadler, ÚJV and Messer Technogas, together with the ICUK team, met to discuss the real possibilities of introducing emission-free propulsion on lines where electrification is not an option for economic or technical reasons. The focus of the discussion was the modular platform Stadler RS Zero with a hydrogen combustion engine - a technology that could play a key role in the decarbonization of transport in the Ústí nad Labem Region.
Why an internal combustion engine and not a fuel cell?
At first glance, it may be surprising that the solution for the „green train” is not based on fuel cells, which are most often discussed in the context of hydrogen. But the RS Zero is betting on hydrogen combustion engine and he has good reasons for it.
The key argument is clear: while fuel cells require hydrogen with a purity of 99.999 %, an internal combustion engine operates efficiently with a purity of 98 %. At first glance, this sounds like a detail, but for the Ústí nad Labem region it means a huge advantage. The region has industrial sources of hydrogen, for example from Spolchemie or Orlen Unipetrol, and their output is of the quality that RS Zero can use without further processing. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive purification refining, which would significantly increase operating costs.
In addition, the technology does not require rare and expensive metals such as platinum, is based on the 80 % from proven diesel blocks and meets the strictest European Stage V emission standards. According to Regulation (EU) 2024/1610, the RS Zero is classified as a vehicle with zero CO₂ emissions.
RS Zero and the Ústí nad Labem Region: a natural match
From the perspective of the H2ÚK project, this technology is extremely interesting because it fulfills exactly the scenario that the region is heading towards: connecting local industrial hydrogen production with its consumption in public services, this time in transport.
A range of 700 to 1,000 km per tank allows the entire region to be served from a single central filling point located at the hydrogen source. For demanding gradients on the track R14 between Ústí nad Labem and Liberec, where battery solutions hit their limits, this is a crucial argument.
The inspiration may be German Schleswig-Holstein, where, thanks to political will and infrastructure connectivity, 55 train sets were able to switch to alternative propulsion in just five years.
What does this mean for the H2ÚK project?
This meeting is a precise example of the work that ICUK is doing within the H2ÚK project: it connects industrial players, technology suppliers and public institutions, maps real data and helps shape strategic documents that will make the Ústí nad Labem Region a real hydrogen valley.
Decarbonizing rail is not a distant vision, it is a concrete task for which we have the technology, the industrial base and the policy framework. Now we need a comprehensive concept that connects all of this.
The meeting took place within the framework of the project Development of the Hydrogen Valley in the Ústí nad Labem Region (CZ.10.02.01/00/24_069/0000482), funded by the Just Transition Operational Programme 2021–2027. More about the project at h2uk.cz and about ICUK's involvement in icuk.cz.
