By SHINYA MATSUMOTO/ Staff Writer
March 4, 2022 at 07:00 JST
The Hybari test train developed by East Japan Railway Co. and other companies is shown in Kawasaki on Feb. 18. (Shinya Matsumoto)
KAWASAKI--East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) will begin trial runs of its hydrogen-powered fuel-cell train in late March with plans to start commercial operations of the cleaner vehicle in 2030.
The Hybari test train, unveiled on Feb. 18 at the rail yard in Kawasaki, travels on electricity generated from hydrogen. Additional power is supplied through braking, so the train can run without emitting carbon dioxide.
JR East plans to replace its diesel fuel trains with the Hybari as part of efforts to decarbonize railways.
Supplying 40 kilograms of hydrogen allows the Hybari to travel 140 kilometers, JR East officials said.
The two-car train was developed at a cost of 4 billion yen ($34.7 million) by JR East, Toyota Motor Corp., which produces the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, and Hitachi Ltd., which has expertise in storage batteries.
Its exterior was designed to resemble water produced from hydrogen’s chemical reactions, while the interior uses mainly green and blue fittings to represent mountains, rivers and other natural surroundings.
The Hybari will be tested late at night after ordinary operations along the Nanbu Line and Tsurumi Line in Kanagawa Prefecture around once a week for fuel efficiency and safety, according to JR East.
The company said that 28 of its 69 railway lines have nonelectrified sections free from power wires. The Hybari is supposed to replace diesel trains along those lines.
Nonelectrified sections often lie in areas with decreasing ridership, so a challenge for JR East will be how to install hydrogen stations there and recoup the costs.
“Using hydrogen for railways only would not pay off the expenses,” said Shoichi Oizumi, director at JR East’s Research and Development Center. “We will comprehensively consider using it for other transportation systems and local communities.”
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