UR Group supports UK’s first Hydrogen-powered train debut at COP26

URGROUP is one of almost 30 UK based businesses that have worked together to deliver Britain’s first hydrogen-powered train which will be showcased by Porterbrook, in partnership with Network Rail, at November’s UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

Porterbrook has invested £7m in the HydroFLEX, which will demonstrate how green-hydrogen and innovative-engineering can accelerate delivery of environmental benefits to passengers and the communities the railway serves.

The build and delivery of HydroFLEX has been supported by the University of Birmingham and a range of businesses, many new to rail, which has successfully created the UK’s first hydrogen-rail supply chain.

URGROUP has been proud to work with Porterbrook as part of the supply chain team that has delivered HydroFLEX within less than a year.

As part of the project, URGROUP supplied the Digital Ethernet Backbone for the train. This includes, pre-assembled integrated digital assemblies, network configuration software development and On-site support services. URGROUP collaborated with other suppliers adopting a “get the job” done approach in meeting Porterbrook’s delivery requirements.

This cross-industry collaboration will see the ground-breaking HydroFLEX make its first passenger journeys at COP26, to showcase the possibility of leading British green technology on the world stage.

The HydroFLEX train at COP26 includes an ‘on-board boardroom’, giving invited special guests the chance to use the train to support the globally significant discussions that will take place in and around the COP.

URGROUP provided the high capacity, high bandwidth digital ethernet backbone which enables both passenger experience systems and critical engine control systems to be securely installed on the train.