Stadler tests hydrogen trains for Italy on narrow gauge

Stadler has started testing the hydrogen trains it builds for Italy on a 950 mm narrow-gauge track built between Hemishofen and Ramsen, in Switzerland. The track, near the Bussnang factory, is expected to be used for about three years to commission 21 vehicles.

The orders were detailed when the first train was unveiled in June 2026: ten for ARST in Sardinia, nine for Ferrovie della Calabria and two for Circumetnea in Sicily. In Sardinia, passenger service is planned from 2028, after ANSFISA certification, with solar hydrogen from facilities still under development.

The schedule has two ends. The train may arrive certified before hydrogen production is ready, or the reverse. On a line without overhead wires, the public operator and the region that signed the contract absorb the mismatch: idle vehicles or diesel kept in service longer.

The expected gain is concrete: more than 2,100 tonnes of CO2 avoided per year with the ten Sardinian trains, compared with diesel. The milestone to watch is fuel supply. Trains are tested on track. Hydrogen is secured by contract.