Me and M. G. Leonard are delighted to have been invited by Network Rail to take part in the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow this November, taking a ride on a hydrogen-powered train to showcase the environmental benefits of travelling by rail.

On Thursday 11th November we’ll we boarding the new HydroFLEX train at Glasgow Central Station, along with a class of Glasgow schoolchildren, and running a creative workshop with them about the future of train travel.

The HydroFLEX is a refurbished Class 319001 which has been converted to run on both electricity and hydrogen fuel cells. Green hydrogen produces no emissions harmful to the environment, meaning the train is far cleaner than alternative diesel-powered locomotives. With less than half of the UK’s rail network electrified, trains like the HydroFLEX are a fantastic way to reduce emissions from the rail network on routes without electrified lines. The train has been developed by Porterbrook in partnership with the University of Birmingham, with support from the UK government via InnovateUK.

We’re particularly excited about this event because our next book, Sabotage on the Solar Express, features a train powered by hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels. We never dreamed when writing it that we’d get to experience a hydrogen-powered train up close ourselves, so this is a dream come true.

Trains are by far the greenest form of public transport, and I hope through clever innovations like the HydroFLEX, and through investment in the UK’s rail infrastructure, like the further electrification of our lines, that we can reduce emissions for our future travels.