Why in news?
PM Modi will flag off India's first hydrogen-powered train in Jind, Haryana, on July 17, 2026.
With this, India joins an elite group of countries, including Japan, South Korea, the US, and Canada, that operate hydrogen trains ("H-trains"), marking a major milestone in green transportation technology.
What’s in Today’s Article?
- Key Features of the Train
- Global Context: Hydrogen Trains Elsewhere
- How Do Hydrogen Trains Work?
- The Storage Challenge
- Conclusion
Key Features of the Train
- India's hydrogen train is among the world's longest and most powerful hydrogen trainsets, with the following specifications:
- Configuration: Eight passenger cars and two driving power cars (10 coaches total)
- Power: 2400 kilowatts (3200 hp)
- Capacity: 682 seats, with a total passenger capacity of 2,600
- Route: 89-km Jind-Sonipat section via 12 stations, with a 2-hour travel time
- Speed: Operational speed of 75 km/h, maximum speed of 120 km/h
- Operations: Two round trips daily, covering 356 km and consuming about 300 kg of hydrogen
- Emissions: Zero CO2 emissions; the only by-product is harmless water vapour
Global Context: Hydrogen Trains Elsewhere
- French rolling stock giant Alstom first presented hydrogen train technology at a 2016 exhibition in Berlin.
- Its Coradia iLint train-set was launched in Germany in 2018, becoming the world's first hydrogen-powered passenger train.
- Japan, China, and the US subsequently launched their own hydrogen trains.
- However, the technology remains in an evolving stage for mass transportation of passengers and freight, which is why few countries operate such trains, and mostly for short-haul routes.
How Do Hydrogen Trains Work?
- Unlike conventional electric locomotives that draw alternating current from overhead wires, hydrogen trains generate their own electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen.
- In India's hydrogen train, each of the two power cars houses four integrated power packs, comprising hydrogen fuel cells and lithium ferro phosphate batteries.
- The fuel cell draws hydrogen stored on board (440 kg, at high pressure) and combines it with oxygen from the outside air to generate electrical energy.
- Power distribution
- Each power pack generates 300 kW (115 kW from the fuel cell, 185 kW from the battery).
- Four power packs together provide 1200 kW per power car, and with two power cars, total power reaches 2400 kW, comparable to conventional electrical or diesel-electric multiple unit trains on similar routes.
- Working mechanism
- The fuel cell delivers constant power output. At start-up, when power demand is low, surplus fuel cell electricity charges the battery.
- As speed and power demand increase, the battery supplements the fuel cell.
- Near the station, as demand drops again, the battery recharges using surplus fuel cell energy, ending the journey nearly 80% charged.
- The train was essentially created by replacing diesel engines in old diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) rakes with this hydrogen-electric propulsion system.
- The core fuel cell technology has been imported from Canadian company Ballard.
The Storage Challenge
- Storing and transporting hydrogen safely is the biggest technical hurdle.
- While normal atmospheric pressure is one "bar," hydrogen must be stored at 200-500 bar, making it highly flammable and difficult to handle.
- Additionally, hydrogen production levels remain low globally, and transportation is logistically challenging.
- To address this, Indian Railways has set up a 3,000-kg-capacity fuelling facility at Jind, along with a chiller plant that cools hydrogen to minus 15°C during dispensing, converting it into a liquid state for safer and easier handling.
Conclusion
India's first hydrogen train marks a significant stride toward clean, zero-emission rail transport, placing the country among a handful of global pioneers.
However, challenges around hydrogen storage, production, and cost mean its long-term expansion will depend heavily on the pilot project's real-world performance on the Jind-Sonipat route.
