The UK’s first hydrogen-powered railway shunter, Vanguard’s HydroShunter, has been selected as one of five projects in the government-backed Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII) Demonstration Programme. The zero-emission locomotive, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and battery system, is to showcase the potential for zero-emission operations for challenging duty cycles in rail freight.
The HydroShunter is one of five projects selected by Connected Places Catapult and Innovate UK to demonstrate hydrogen innovations across transport and energy.
It is the UK’s first re-engineered hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive, presented in January last year to the industry. The original diesel engine of a repurposed Class 08 locomotive is replaced with Vanguard’s NEO1 powertrain, a modular system combining hydrogen storage, a fuel cell, and a traction battery. The 250 kW locomotive, capable of running for up to 20 hours on a single hydrogen fill, was developed at the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) in Kidderminster, where engineers restored the legacy chassis before installing the new drivetrain.
Part of a broader hydrogen push
The other 4 initiatives chosen to be part of the demo programme include H2CHP’s hydrogen-fuelled linear generator for off-grid energy, Latent Drive’s SeaStack electrolyser, designed for offshore hydrogen production, Sky-Drones’ hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial systems and Unitrove’s liquid hydrogen storage and distribution technologies.
Connected Places Catapult, acting as a delivery partner of the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII), invited bids for near‑term hydrogen demonstration projects. Successful projects are eligible to receive up to £100,000 (including VAT) to help deliver real‑world demonstration activity, with learning and results to be shared publicly to help accelerate hydrogen technology and supply chain development in the UK. The amount of subsidy for each selected project has not been announced.
Demonstrating novel tech
“Demonstrating novel technologies in real-world environments is fundamental to their adoption,” said Sameer Savani, Managing Director for Transport at Connected Places Catapult. The HII programme aims to de-risk hydrogen adoption, drive business growth, and position the UK as a global leader in sustainable energy solutions.
“HydroSHUNTER showcases the future of rail decarbonisation,” Vanguard stated earlier, highlighting its potential to extend the lifespan of ageing fleets while cutting emissions and costs. The project also pioneers new safety standards for hydrogen use in rail, paving the way for mainline approval and global scalability.
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