Central Japan Railway Company visits HydroFLEX

Porterbrook was pleased to welcome representatives from the Central Japan Railway Company (CJR) to our Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre this week.

The CJR is looking into the potential for hydrogen trains on the rail network in Japan, and visited Long Marston for a tour of HydroFLEX, Britain’s first hydrogen-ready passenger train.

Helen Simpson, Director of Projects and Innovation at Porterbrook and a key figure in the development of HydroFLEX, led the tour along with representatives from Chrysalis Rail and Vanguard. This included the hydro chamber, where the latest fuel cell technology combines green hydrogen with oxygen to power the vehicle.

Porterbrook has invested around £10 million in HydroFLEX and 30 UK companies have contributed to its development.