In 2019, the Chinese city of Foshan celebrated the opening of the world's first hydrogen-powered tram line, heralding a promising era for environmentally friendly hydrogen vehicles. Unlike battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles can be refueled quickly with liquid hydrogen, similar to gasoline or diesel cars, without emitting harmful emissions.

However, after four and a half years of operation, the line was suspended in August 2024 and appears to have ceased operations altogether, despite the local transportation authority stating that it was halted for maintenance without specifying a resumption date.

The line -spanned 6.5 kilometers- featured five hydrogen-powered vehicles, each equipped with two 200-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells.

Passenger numbers had declined significantly over the past two years. In 2020, the average daily ridership was around 1,100, which dropped to 580 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and stabilized at around 360 in the last two years.

Clearly, such low ridership numbers do not cover operating costs or generate profits to recoup the initial investment of $118 million.

Although the tram ran on blue hydrogen extracted from methane, a process that is not entirely clean like green hydrogen, its lower cost compared to green hydrogen did not help the tram achieve economic viability.

Passengers complained about the infrequent service, which was likely the primary reason for the continued decline in ridership. No one wants to wait for a hydrogen tram.

The suspension of the line reflects the fact that the operating costs of hydrogen vehicles remain high, to the point where no one is willing to continue operating them at a loss when there are more economical and environmentally friendly alternatives such as battery-electric vehicles.