Saarbahn, a German transportation company, has ordered 28 Kite Hydroliner hydrogen buses from Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus, with the first five to be delivered in 2024. The buses will be manufactured at Wrightbus’ headquarters in Ballymena.
“With Wrightbus, we have found a partner to bring emission-free buses to the streets of Saarbrücken and the surrounding region as quickly as possible,” says Saarbahn project manager Torsten Burgardt. “We take our environmental responsibility very seriously, and this is the first step to ensure that the first part of our fleet consists of zero-emission buses in the next few years, as required by the EU’s Clean Vehicle Directive.”
The tender procedure for the H2 filling station has also been successfully completed in the meantime. This filling station is to be built parallel to the delivery of the buses at the Saarbahn bus depot in Malstatter Straße in Saarbrücken. Saarbahn is investing around 5 million euros to develop the refueling infrastructure. This project is also funded by the BMDV (Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure).
“This is a significant deal for Wrightbus, Saarbahn and the people of Saarland,” says Jean-Marc Gales, chief executive of Wrightbus. “We are very pleased to provide even more zero-emission buses to support clear net-zero targets. Saarbahn is the largest transport company in Saarland, so adding hydrogen buses to the fleet will have a significant positive impact on the region’s environment.”
Together with Saarbahn Netz GmbH, Saarbahn GmbH employs around 580 people and transports around 43.7 million passengers annually by road and rail.
Wrightbus offers a wide range of zero-emission buses in Europe and the United Kingdom, including hydrogen double-decker buses and electric double-deckers.
