Blog Post:
The UK has taken a major step forward on its journey to a cleaner, more resilient transport and energy system. On 3 December, at Network Rail’s Test Track site in Tuxford, hydrogen was transported by rail for the first time, demonstrating in a single powerful moment what happens when the rail and energy sectors work together with purpose.
Two excellent articles from Network Rail and Freightliner capture the day in detail, but for Enspired (and for the Energy for Rail collaboration with Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions) this milestone carries particular significance. It represents the first tangible output of the Energy for Rail programme: an idea conceived within a partnership with Vanguard and shaped strategically, then brought to life with the support of Network Rail, who hosted and delivered the event.
This was the vision of Energy for Rail made real. And the railway proved it is ready.
The idea behind the event was straightforward but powerful — to demonstrate practically that the UK railway is already capable of transporting green hydrogen at scale, from producer to user, safely and efficiently. The partnership proposed that hydrogen should be moved by rail, not road, and the concept was taken forward collaboratively, with Network Rail providing the venue, operational controls and national platform needed to show this at industry level.
Freightliner hauled hydrogen containers from Doncaster to High Marnham. GeoPura supplied green hydrogen produced at HyMarnham Power. Vanguard showcased their HydroShunter, which is the UK’s first re-engineered hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive and a flagship project within the Energy for Rail ecosystem.
And Energy for Rail helped connect the pieces through aligning strategic partners, shaping the narrative and ensuring the event demonstrated not just what hydrogen is, but what hydrogen enables when energy and rail act together.
Why This Moment Matters for the UK.
As Network Rail and Freightliner rightly highlighted in their articles, the implications go far beyond a single shipment. Hydrogen transported by rail unlocks three major opportunities:
1. Decarbonising non-electrified rail operations
Hydrogen (alongside battery technologies) can replace diesel where electrification is not viable in the short or medium term — from shunting and engineering trains to maintenance fleets and off-grid rail sites.
2. Creating a national clean-fuel distribution network
The UK rail network connects every major industrial region. Leveraging that existing infrastructure accelerates hydrogen adoption without requiring expensive new road-based logistics.
3. Strengthening the UK’s wider energy resilience
A rail-enabled hydrogen network eases pressure on the electricity grid, supports local energy production, and enables power to reach sites where grid capacity is limited or unavailable.
These opportunities sit at the heart of why Energy for Rail exists: to align the rail and energy sectors toward shared decarbonisation goals and unlock the value that only true collaboration can deliver.
Working with Vanguard, Enspired supported the delivery and coordination of the Energy for Rail presence at the event, ensuring that the wider strategic context was clear: hydrogen in rail is not just a technology story; it’s an energy-system story.
This milestone proves that the UK already has the ingredients to accelerate low-carbon transport and decentralised clean-power distribution:
• Proven hydrogen production
• Real infrastructure connections
• Operational industry partnerships
• A national rail network capable of widespread distribution
The next step is to scale up and move from successful demonstrations to sustained, replicable operations that serve industry, freight and communities across the country. That is the vision of Energy for Rail. And this event at Tuxford is a significant step towards that future. We encourage you to read the two featured articles that captured the day:
• Network Rail: Hydrogen delivered by rail for the first time
• Freightliner: First hydrogen transport on the UK network
