Context: The Ministry of Railway is inviting expressions of interest from global players to manufacture hydrogen-powered trains in the country based on indigenously developed technology.
Indian Railways Unveils Hydrogen-Powered Train Prototype
- Indian Railways is developing a prototype of a train that will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, making for a more environmentally friendly locomotive than traditional diesel-powered ones.
- Currently, only Germany commercially operates hydrogen-powered trains, while the US, the UK, France, and Japan are in the testing phase.
What is the Hydrogen for Heritage Project?
- Announcement in Union Budget: The Finance Minister in her Budget speech in February 2023 announced the ‘Hydrogen for Heritage’ scheme, a plan to operate hydrogen-powered trains on select heritage and hilly routes that are environmentally sensitive.
- Proposed Plan: India’s plan to develop the technology involves the retrofitment of hydrogen fuel cells on diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) rakes. This prototype is expected to run on the Jind-Sonipat section in Haryana initially.
- Indian Railways has proposed to run 35 hydrogen trains at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore per train, with ground infrastructure costing Rs70 crore per route.
- Manufacturing cost: one rake of six coaches with hydrogen propulsion is estimated at Rs 80 crore; for ground infrastructure, it is Rs 600 crore.
- Thirty-five train-set rakes (with six coaches each) have been sanctioned for the ongoing financial year for eight sections–Matheran Hill Railway, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kangra Valley, Bilmora Waghai, Patalpani Kalakund, Nilgiri Mountain Railways, and Marwar-Goram Ghat.
- Challenges: According to, the Ministry of Railways the initial running cost of hydrogen-powered trains would be higher, but it would subsequently reduce with an increase in the number of such trains.
About Hydrogen Fuel Cell:
- It is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity.
- It consists of a positive anode and a negative cathode and uses electrolysis to generate electricity.
- The fuel cell’s core is made of solid or liquid electrolytes to aid the process.
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What are the Hydrogen-Powered Trains?
- Hydrogen trains basically run on hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells combine oxygen and hydrogen to create electricity, which drives the train’s motors.
- Environmental Benefits: Hydrogen trains are more environmentally beneficial than traditional diesel trains as they do not emit dangerous pollutants like nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and particulate.
Also Read: National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHEM)
Source: Live Mint
December 4, 2023