The delivery of Russia's first hydrogen fuel cell train to Sakhalin is expected in the first half of 2027. This was stated by Andrey Samatov, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Sakhalin Region, at the "Islands of Sustainable Development: Climate and Ecology" forum, which is taking place in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
The first zero-emission hydrogen train is currently being assembled.
After certification and testing, the train will enter regular passenger service.
The hydrogen-powered rolling stock is being created as part of an agreement signed in 2019 between Russian Railways, Transmashholding (TMH), Rosatom, and the government of the Sakhalin Region. Its concept was first presented in 2025 at the Far Eastern Energy Forum on the territory of the "Pushisty" drone port (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).
TMH stated that the hydrogen train is unique and has no analogues in countries where railway tracks with a width of 1520 mm are operated. Tests of the rolling stock will be carried out at the testing ground of the Special Design Bureau of Marine Research Automation Tools (SKB SAMI) of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A refueling complex and storage systems for produced hydrogen are located there.