Swiss train company Stadler Rail has just set another Guinness World Record with its hydrogen-fueled train, the Flirt H2, New Atlas reports.
On March 20, the Flirt H2 began its record-breaking journey. The train is designed to travel for 286 miles per tank of hydrogen at a top speed of 79 miles per hour.
But at the ENSCO test circuit in Pueblo, Colorado, this train surpassed all expectations by continuing to run for 46 hours straight, with engineers working in shifts to keep it in operation.
At the end of the run, the Flirt H2 had racked up 1,741.7 miles — over six times the distance it was rated for, New Atlas reveals.
"This world record establishes the ideal performance range of our hydrogen version of the best-selling Flirt Electric Multiple Unit, the Flirt H2," Stadler's Ansgar Brockmeyer told New Atlas. "This is a monumental achievement from our entire team and we are very proud to hold another record title."
Stadler's previous train, the battery-powered Flirt Akku, set a Guinness World Record in 2021 for the longest battery-only train journey on a single charge, New Atlas says.
As clean, safe trains like these are adopted more widely, they could provide affordable and convenient travel for millions of people.
Meanwhile, transportation is one of the major driving factors behind air pollution, with passenger cars alone pumping over 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year, according to Statista. All of that air pollution traps heat in the atmosphere, warming up the planet and causing extreme, destructive weather.
Trains and buses, which move more people with less fuel, are one way to cut back on pollution. Cleaner technologies, like electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles instead of gas-powered ones, are another way. Stadler's trains are both.
The Flirt H2 was originally created for California's San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, New Atlas reports. Italian rail companies have also ordered 15 of them.
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