Poland launches first-ever passenger train run on hydrogen power

Poland has reached a major milestone in its energy transition with the successful launch of the country’s first scheduled passenger service powered by a hydrogen locomotive. The debut journey took place on 3 September 2025, marking a step forward for clean transport innovation in the nation’s rail sector.

Source: Poland Government

Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, highlighted that the initiative reflects the government’s strategy to boost homegrown green technologies. During the event, she also signed a cooperation deal with rail manufacturer PESA, which is based in Bydgoszcz, to bring one of the world’s earliest hydrogen locomotive designs into series production.

The project is backed by a 53-million-zloty (about €12.5 million) grant under Poland’s National Recovery Plan programme, Hydrogenization of the Economy. The investment will finance the shift from prototype to full-scale production, with a long-term target of manufacturing up to ten hydrogen locomotives annually by 2040.

To celebrate the achievement, officials and industry representatives joined a ceremonial trip between Jelenia Góra and Karpacz on board the hydrogen-powered train.

Poland began testing the locomotive in 2023. Such trains are considered particularly valuable for routes where electrification is technically challenging or economically unfeasible, offering an alternative pathway to cut emissions in the railway sector.