Germany is set to introduce the world's first zero-emission passenger train to be powered by hydrogen.

The Coradia iLint only emits excess steam into the atmosphere, and provides an alternative to the country's 4,000 diesel trains.

Lower Saxony has already ordered 14 of them from French company Alstom, and more are likely to be seen around the country if they are judged a success, reports Die Welt.

Testing is set to be carried out by the end of the year, before it opens up to the public in December 2017.

The train was first presented at Berlin's InnoTrans trade show in August, and it is set to be the first hydrogen-powered train to regularly ferry people over long distances.

There's also interest in the train from the Netherlands, Denmarkand Norway.

[Source: www.independent.co.uk]