Three towns in the region - Vemb, Lemvig and Thyborøn - say they will put up funding to provide for a hydrogen train running along the 59 kilometre railway line that connects them.

According to the Danish authorities, the European Union and the town of Ringkøbing have also expressed their willingness to contribute financially to the project, raising the total investment to 66,000 euro.

The hydrogen train is seen as a key project for the new Hydrogen Innovation and Research Centre (HIRC) in western Jutland, which was created to place Denmark at the forefront of efforts to develop hydrogen applications.

According to the CEO of HIRC, Jens-Chr. Møller: 'Our goal is to get Europe's first commercially viable hydrogen train in Europe. There are many international projects on using hydrogen in cars and buses, but plans on hydrogen trains are very few and mostly centred in the United States and Japan. That's why we have a chance to make something of international value in western Jutland.'

The HIRC now hopes to attract the attention of train manufacturers interested in participating in the project.