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India on Friday launched its first hydrogen-powered train, joining a small group of countries testing the clean-energy technology as part of efforts to decarbonise rail transport and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The 10-coach train operates on an 89-km route between Jind and Sonipat in the northern state of Haryana, using a 1,200-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system, which officials said is the world’s most powerful for a train.
Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, producing only water and steam as emissions, supporting India’s drive to modernise its vast rail network while cutting carbon emissions.
“This is a very significant day in the direction of self-reliant India and sustainable development,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who flagged off the inaugural journey, said in a social media post.
The railway ministry said the train was “developed entirely in India”, although senior officials told reporters that some key components, including the fuel cells, were imported.
The ministry also inaugurated what it described as the country’s largest railway hydrogen storage and refuelling facility in Jind, with a capacity of some 3,000 kilograms, to “support hydrogen-powered train operations”.
The pilot project cost around $12 million, according to a senior railway official who acknowledged it was significantly more expensive than a comparable conventional service.
However, he said costs were expected to fall as the technology matures.
With the launch, India joins countries such as Germany, Japan, China and the United States that are testing or operating hydrogen-powered trains.
India’s railways have undergone a major transformation since the first passenger steam train puffed out in 1853 from Mumbai.
