Battery trains on the rise: 8th Eurailpress Forum “Alternative Drive Systems in Regional Rail Transport”

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The transition to new drive systems is progressing in regional rail transport. Numerous regions now have projects underway to replace diesel-powered trains with new battery- or hydrogen-powered vehicles. The 8th Eurailpress Forum “Alternative Propulsion Systems in Regional Rail Transport,” organized by the DVV Media Group on July 1, 2025, in Hamburg, provided an overview of current projects, challenges, and initial practical experiences. The forum brought together around 80 participants from public transport authorities and transport companies, the vehicle industry and energy suppliers, consultants and academia. Specific topics included the strategy of the state of Bavaria for decarbonizing regional trains, the status of the introduction of battery trains in the Lower Rhine and Münsterland regions as well as in the Palatinate, findings from a joint funding project on the production and supply of hydrogen for rail vehicles, and various technical issues. With its holistic perspective – equally focused on market organization and financing, vehicles and infrastructure, technology and operation – the Eurailpress Forum “Alternative Drives in Regional Rail Transport” has established itself since its first edition in 2018 as an annual meeting place for all stakeholders involved in the market introduction of alternatively powered vehicles.