Stadler FLIRT H2

Hydrogen Power Has Arrived

RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2025 ISSUE: Just this past September, something historic happened in the high desert of Southern California: The first hybrid hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) battery-electric passenger train in the U.S.

“The new ZEMU is easy to spot with its signature blue and white water-vapor design wrapped around the train’s two passenger cars and center power pack where the hydrogen and battery propulsion system is located,” according to SBCTA. (Photograph Courtesy of SBCTA)

ZEMU Debut Set for Sept. 13

San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s ZEMU—a hydrogen fuel cell-powered FLIRT H2 train from Stadler—will launch Sept. 13, serving riders on Metrolink’s nine-mile, five-station Arrow Corridor between San Bernardino and Redlands in Southern California. The

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Hydrogen Finds its Place in California

State government regulations are accelerating the shift from diesel to alternative traction in California. Kyle Gradinger, Division Chief of Rail and Mass Transportation at the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), explains the