Daejeon Civic Group "Doubt on Hydrogen Tram Safety and Reliability... Caution Needed"

"Procedure Needed to Assess and Verify Public Acceptability"

Hydrogen Infrastructure Development Council launched on the 13th to ensure stable hydrogen supply for the tram being promoted on Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2 / Daejeon City

A civic group in Daejeon has called for reconsideration of the hydrogen fuel tram planned for Urban Railway Line 2, citing concerns over safety and technological reliability, and urged the project to proceed with a conventional tram instead.

The Daejeon Civic Society Coalition stated in a press release on the 18th, "As a public transportation system, the tram will be used by 160,000 people daily," adding, "Public transportation must guarantee safety and technological reliability, but since hydrogen fuel itself has limited cases of commercialization in public transit, it is difficult to consider its safety and technological reliability assured."

They continued, "For hydrogen to be supplied as fuel for transportation, issues related to hydrogen storage and transportation must also be resolved," and added, "It is necessary to assess public acceptance of the hydrogen tram as public transportation and to conduct verification procedures regarding technological reliability and safety together with citizens."

Furthermore, they emphasized, "More than 10 years have passed since the decision to adopt the tram method for Daejeon Urban Railway Line 2, but many aspects, from the route to the operation method, have changed, causing continuous delays in the project," and "The hydrogen tram introduced in the 8th local government term is currently under suspicion for its technological safety and reliability, so greater caution is required."

The civic group stated, "A city's public transportation should not become a testbed for a company's new technology," and demanded, "Daejeon City should pursue the Urban Railway Line 2 policy with a conventional tram rather than an uncertain hydrogen tram."

Earlier, to ensure stable hydrogen supply for the hydrogen tram, on the 13th, Daejeon City formed a hydrogen infrastructure council consisting of nine organizations, including Yuseong and Daedeok Districts, Hyundai Rotem Co., Ltd., and the Korea Environment Corporation.

Meanwhile, the Daejeon hydrogen tram, with a total length of 38.8 km, includes 45 stations and one vehicle depot on a single line, is scheduled to begin construction in the second half of this year, aiming for completion in 2028.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.