FS Italiane and Snam: united to promote the study of hydrogen in rail transport
Rome, 21 October 2020
FS Italiane and Snam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to appraise technical-economic feasibility and new business models related to the development and dissemination of hydrogen rail transport in Italy.
The agreement signed by Gianfranco Battisti – CEO of the FS Italiane Group – and Marco Alverà – CEO of Snam – established the means of implementing analysis and feasibility studies along with the development of joint projects on hydrogen convertible railway lines throughout Italy.
In particular, FS Italiane and Snam will establish a working group focused on evaluating possible pilot projects involving the replacement of fossil fuels with hydrogen.
The companies will experiment with innovative technological solutions related to the production, transportation, compression, storage, supply and usage of hydrogen as a contribution towards the development of sustainable mobility, including by participating in joint initiatives that are subject to potential public contract tenders or funding.
“The agreement signed with Snam confirms how important it is for FS Italiane to encourage sustainable mobility, in full compliance with the European guidelines of the Green New Deal,” underlined Gianfranco Battisti, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of FS Italiane Group. “We continue to innovate and develop safe and environmentally-friendly mobility solutions that will enable new generations to live in a more sustainable and competitive country, in accordance with a model that increasingly focuses on the people. In this sense, hydrogen rail transport is a fundamental development that can render passenger and freight journeys more environmentally-friendly on the remaining rail lines yet to be electrified.”
With this agreement,” affirmed Snam’s Chief Executive Officer, Marco Alverà, “we take an important step in promoting a hydrogen chain in Italy, starting from areas that are crucial for decarbonisation, such as the transport of people and freight. Through the collaboration between FS Italiane and Snam, we aim to construct infrastructure able to quickly convert to hydrogen all trains in Italy that are currently powered by diesel, thus taking on a role of technological leadership on which to capitalised at an international level.”
Any developments in the collaboration shall be governed by the signing of suitable agreements between the parties.