Poland has issued a €8.5 million grant (PLN 36 million) to PESA Bydgoszcz for the development of the country’s first hydrogen passenger train. The HEMU (Hydrogen Electric Multiple Unit) will combine hydrogen fuel cells, batteries and overhead line power, enabling emission-free travel on both electrified and non-electrified routes.
The €7.8 million awarded by the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment comes from the National Hydrogen Railway Fund (KPO), following the signing of an agreement with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska underscored the project’s strategic importance on 13 February.
“We are taking another step in the development of hydrogen-powered railways in Poland,” Hennig-Kloska said. “This project has global potential. We are creating space for our scientists, engineers, and employees to develop solutions we will proudly present in Europe and around the world.”
Triple power system for full flexibility
The prototype train to be built by PESA is a HEMU (Hydrogen Electric Multiple Unit), and will feature three systems to draw power from:
• Electric traction via pantograph
• Hydrogen fuel cells
• Onboard battery storage
Robert Tafiłowski, vice-president of the management board of PESA Bydgoszcz SA highlighted that this combination will “”offer operators the efficiency that batteries alone cannot provide”.
This combination allows seamless operation across mixed infrastructure. On electrified sections, the train will draw power from overhead lines. On non-electrified routes — which make up around 40% of Poland’s rail network — it will switch to hydrogen and battery power, eliminating CO₂ emissions entirely.
A smart control system developed by PESA will optimise energy use, minimising hydrogen consumption by prioritising overhead power where available. The design aims to improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and eliminate the need for transfers on route changes.
Connecting underserved regions
The HEMU is seen as a solution to transport exclusion in rural and tourist areas such as Karpacz and the Hel Peninsula, where rail lines remain unelectrified. By enabling clean, quiet and comfortable travel without infrastructure upgrades, the train could revitalise regional connectivity.
Dorota Zawadzka-Stępniak, President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, highlighted the project’s innovation: “This is the first solution in the country combining hydrogen propulsion with the ability to be powered from the overhead contact line. We are investing not only in the vehicle itself but also in the expertise and technologies that have the potential to become a Polish speciality in zero-emission transport.”
PESA builds on hydrogen experience
PESA has been developing hydrogen technology since 2019. Its hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive has already passed testing and certification, attracting interest from KGHM, Orlen and international operators, including in Sweden.
Robert Tafiłowski, Vice-President of PESA Bydgoszcz SA, said the HEMU project marks the next phase: “We will create technology that completely eliminates CO₂ emissions on local routes, offering passengers peace and comfort, and operators the efficiency that batteries alone cannot provide.”
The project, titled Implementation of a research and development project concerning the development and construction of a prototype of a hydrogen passenger vehicle with additional power supply from the traction network, is funded under the National Reconstruction Plan’s Hydrogenation of the Economy programme.
