India's First Hydrogen Train to Start Trials by Year-end, Here's Everything you Need to Know!

In a first-of-its-kind, India is soon to get Hydrogen-fuelled trains. As a part of the National Hydrogen Mission to position India as a global hub for green hydrogen, Indian Railways has awarded a pilot project for the retro-fitment of hydrogen fuel cells in existing DEMU (diesel-electric multiple unit) trains, along with the necessary ground infrastructure. 

Speaking at FICCI's Future Rail India 2024 conference, Anil Kumar Khandelwal, Member (Infrastructure) of the Railway Board at the Ministry of Railways said, "Our first hydrogen train will be coming this year, and we are planning to launch about 50 by 2047." The first prototype of a hydrogen-fuelled train is set to run on the Jind-Sonipat section in Haryana under the Northern Railway zone by December 2024. Among other heritage routes targeted for the introduction of these trains are the Matheran-Hill Railway, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kangra Valley, and Nilgiri Mountain Railways. 

A senior railway official said the integration of the prototype train is going on at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is personally overseeing this eco-friendly railway project. For this project, Indian Railways has given a contract to Medha Servo Drives Pvt. Ltd. (Medha) to build a hydrogen production and refuelling station in Jind, Haryana. Medha has subsequently contracted GreenH Electrolysis (GreenH) to supply hydrogen for this station. GreenH's electrolyser will produce around 430 kg of hydrogen daily to fuel this hydrogen train.

This move is part of Indian Railways' broader strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and integrate clean energy solutions into its operations. Following assessment, the railway will launch 35 hydrogen trains as part of the Hydrogen programme, spending more than Rs. 80 crore on each train and Rs. 70 crore on the creation of infrastructure along various hill and cultural routes.