Residents and visitors to Valcamonica, an Alpine region in northern Italy, will be able to ride hydrogen-powered trains from next year. The pioneering project, the first of its kind in Italy and supported by an investment of 367 million euros ($396 million), marks a significant adoption of hydrogen fuel for a rail line, despite the high production and operational costs.

The region currently uses polluting diesel trains, which will be replaced by 14 zero-emission hydrogen-powered trains made in Italy by a unit of French group Alstom (ALSO.PA). This fits with the European Union's strategy for energy transition, where green hydrogen, produced from water electrolysis using renewable energy, is set to replace a portion of fossil fuels currently used in transportation and power generation.