Saudi Arabia to Trial First Hydrogen Train in Middle East

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, announced on Sunday that the trial operation of the first hydrogen-powered train in the Middle East would commence next week.

Speaking at the Climate Week event in Riyadh, the Minister stated, "The trial will take place next week, and we hope to have the first hydrogen-powered train in the Middle East within the next few months."

He added that Saudi Arabia would introduce a "credible, transparent, and adaptable" local market mechanism tomorrow, without delving into further details.

According to Saudi news agency reports, Saudi Arabia's railway company, SAR, had announced the launch of hydrogen train trials in the Kingdom following an agreement with the French company Alstom.

The goal is to conduct operational trials and necessary studies to adapt this type of train to the Kingdom's environment and climate, in preparation for its future service.

"SAR" confirmed that trials would commence in the current October, highlighting that operating these trains is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, underscoring the Kingdom's commitment to adopting sustainable transportation technologies.

Saudi Minister of Transport and Chairman of SAR, Saleh Al-Jasser, stated that this move aligns with the targets of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.

It aims to transition to a more sustainable transportation system that relies on the latest smart technologies.

He affirmed that SAR is committed to achieving the objectives of Saudi Arabia's Green Initiative, stemming from Vision 2030.

This includes increasing the Kingdom's reliance on clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and protecting the environment.

In a related context, Bashar Al-Malik, CEO of SAR, emphasized that the hydrogen train is one of the most important modern innovations in sustainable transportation.

It generates the energy required to operate trains without carbon emissions, offering a range of benefits that have a positive impact on the environment, the economy, and the future generations.

It's worth noting that trials for this type of train began in Germany in 2018 and continued until 2020, with limited commercial operation for passenger transport starting in 2022.