With the launch of a hydrogen train, India has undoubtedly taken a big leap in the sphere of greener transportation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off India’s first hydrogen-powered train. This ushers India into a group of select countries that have hydrogen trains. India’s first hydrogen-powered train has 10 coaches, with the capacity to carry 2,600 passengers. It will run between Jind and Sonipat in Haryana at a maximum operational speed of 75 kmph, though it is designed for 110 kmph.Why hydrogen? Because it is the cleanest fuel available today. Hydrogen-powered trains are quiet, they produce zero emissions, and also help reduce dependence on diesel. The launch is being seen as a significant step towards India’s move to cleaner transportation. The network is already 99% electrified, and hydrogen-powered trains would help ensure greener transport in remote areas. With the launch of a hydrogen train, India has undoubtedly taken a big leap in the sphere of greener transportation. But challenges are plenty, and the economic viability of the project is not possible, unless it forms part of a broader hydrogen economy ecosystem not limited to railways alone. We decode what makes the project special and why its significance extends beyond just the train and railways.
How does the Hydrogen-powered train work?
The train is powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology. It works by combining the hydrogen that is stored onboard cylinders with oxygen from the air inside a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. This produces electricity to power the traction motors of the train without combustion, smoke or any direct carbon emissions. The only by-product is water vapour!
How does a Hydrogen Train Work?
The train is equipped with two hydrogen driving power cars. These produce 1,200 kW of power each, supported by lithium iron phosphate batteries and hydrogen storage cylinders. How is the train refueled? Indian Railways has set up India’s first integrated hydrogen railway ecosystem at Jind for this purpose. It includes facilities for the production of hydrogen through electrolysis. There is storage, compression and refuelling at the same plant.
Hydrogen Train tech: Understanding its workings
What makes it special
Apart from being the country’s first hydrogen-powered train, the project is special for several reasons. The train has been designed, engineered and integrated in India, a mark of the railway engineering prowess. RDSO, ICF, Medha have worked together to manufacture and extensively test the train.There are only a handful of countries in the world that are currently operating or testing hydrogen trains. Germany remains the pioneer in hydrogen train commercial passenger operations. China has operational deployments, and India now joins the small group of countries running hydrogen-powered passenger trains. France and Italy are rolling out services, while Japan, the US, UK and South Korea are largely at pilot or demonstration stages.
India’s Hydrogen Train – 10 Key Facts
Globally, hydrogen trains have 2-3 passenger coaches – India has launched its train with 10 coaches, making it the longest in the world right now. It is also one of the most powerful hydrogen-powered trainsets in the world, with a 3,200 HP propulsion system.According to Pranav Master, the biggest lesson that India can derive from Germany’s success is that success depends on the ecosystem, not just the train. “Germany showed the importance of reliable hydrogen supply and maintenance infrastructure. China demonstrated the value of domestic manufacturing, while Japan highlighted the need for rigorous safety standards and gradual scaling,” he says.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Car – Interior
Hydrogen trains form part of India’s net-zero emissions by 2030 project, though their contribution is likely to be limited to begin with. Hydrogen trains can act as a small contributor to India’s net zero railway ambition on non-electrified routes, say experts.“Hydrogen trains can help eliminate diesel use on the remaining non-electrified routes while supporting India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission. They also reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels by creating demand for domestically produced green hydrogen,” says Pranav Master, Director, Crisil Intelligence.
Future of hydrogen mobility
Hydrogen trains are suitable for routes where electrification is difficult. This makes them a viable option for remote and heritage routes like Kalka-Shimla as a green mobility option.According to Pranav Master, hydrogen trains make the most sense on non-electrified, low-density, heritage and hill routes where electrification is expensive. “As green hydrogen costs fall and scale improves, their business case will become stronger but implementation across the network will remain limited,” he tells TOI.
India’s first hydrogen train
Challenges
There are several challenges that have prevented the scale up of hydrogen train technology in the world. Green hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure are expensive. This makes these trains more expensive to run compared to conventional ones. Dedicated production, storage and transport facilities need to be set up for smooth operations and since hydrogen is highly inflammable its storage is not easy. It requires high pressure storage and specialised handling and strict safety protocols. The plants also need to be continuously monitored for any leaks.
Hydrogen Facility At Jind
According to Indian Railways, since hydrogen is of highly flammable nature, safety has been built through hydrogen leak detectors, flame and smoke sensors, continuous ventilation, automatic shutdown systems, fire protection measures and real-time monitoring for the loco pilot. Pranav Master of Crisil Intelligence notes that several aspects need to be in place for a safe scale up of the technology.“India will need hydrogen production facilities, storage and refuelling stations, robust safety systems, trained manpower and dedicated maintenance capabilities. The challenge is greater on low-density or remote routes, where hydrogen may need to be transported from centralized production hubs rather than produced locally, making a reliable supply chain essential,” he tells TOI.“Without a reliable hydrogen supply chain, even the best train technology will struggle to scale,” he adds.
Hydrogen Train Interior
Importance of project beyond railways
While challenges are there, the benefits of the hydrogen train project extend beyond railways to the larger hydrogen economy that India is hoping to scale up.Dhruv Gadh, Partner – Transport & Logistics, Infrastructure, PwC India says the commercial viability of hydrogen trains should be viewed through a systems lens rather than the economics of a train alone.“Importantly, they can act as anchor projects for the wider hydrogen economy, helping build infrastructure, demand and capabilities that improve the long-term economics of hydrogen across multiple sectors,” he says.“The real contribution of hydrogen trains is not rail decarbonisation alone, but demand creation for a domestic hydrogen ecosystem. By underpinning investments in hydrogen production, storage, compression and dispensing infrastructure, they can accelerate scale across the value chain,” he tells TOI.
Hydrogen train: Zero emissions
“Experience from global pilots suggests that hydrogen availability, refueling infrastructure and ecosystem readiness are often bigger constraints than train technology itself. Addressing these gaps can strengthen energy security and unlock decarbonisation opportunities across freight, logistics, ports and industry,” Dhruv Gadh adds.Hence, the real investment is not just in the hydrogen train, but in the ecosystem behind it. As experts note, hydrogen trains require production, storage, transport and refuelling infrastructure, along with the operational capabilities to run it reliably at scale.“If India develops these as shared assets serving railways, freight, ports and industry, hydrogen train pilots can become a catalyst for a broader hydrogen economy rather than a standalone transport initiative,” says the PwC expert.For India, the priority should be to use pilots to build capabilities, understand where hydrogen offers a comparative advantage and assess its role within a broader clean-energy and industrial strategy.It is clear that with the launch of its first hydrogen train, India has achieved a milestone. World over the technology of hydrogen trains remains at a nascent stage, and scaling it would need several challenges, including safety aspects, to be overcome.The benefits, however, lie not just in the train technology, but the hydrogen fuel, storage, maintenance and supply ecosystem that it can help create which in turn will have implications for several sectors in the economy as India pushes to be a cleaner and greener power.
