The first hydrogen-powered passenger trains built by Alstom SA are set to debut in Germany and establish a toehold for the technology in Europe.

After a lengthy trial period on a 123-kilometer (76-mile) track in Lower Saxony, Germany, commercial operations will begin next March, according to Carmen Schwabl, managing director at rail operator LNVG. Alstom’s 14 Coradia iLint passenger trains will ply a regional line between Buxtehude, outside Hamburg, and the beach town of Cuxhaven.