Indian Railways is planning to operate 35 Hydrogen Trains as part of “Hydrogen for Heritage” initiative. The Hydrogen Trains will be launched under a pilot project to reduce carbon emissions and make Indian Railways greener and cleaner. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, earlier this year, said that the field trials of the first prototype train will take place on the Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railway and is expected to commence in 2023-2024. As per media reports, the general manager (GM) of Northern Railway, Shobhan Chaudhry, has now confirmed that the trials will begin from March 2024.
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The project will be initiated at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crores per train and Rs 70 crores per route for ground infrastructure. Ashwini Vaishnaw said “Indian Railways has also awarded a pilot project for retro fitment of Hydrogen Fuel cell on existing Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) rake along with ground infrastructure at the cost of Rs 111.83 crores which are planned to be run on Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railway.”
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It is estimated that the initial running cost of the Hydrogen fuel train will be higher, which will subsequently reduce with the number of trains. Further, using Hydrogen as fuel provides more significant benefits in the direction of green transportation technology to support zero carbon emission goals as a clean energy source, reported ANI. Hydrogen trains use hydrogen fuel cells instead of diesel engines.
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Hydrogen trains do not emit harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, or particulate matter, making them a greener option than trains that run on diesel. Indian Railways is already on the path of achieving 100 percent electrification and the introduction of hydrogen-powered trains will not only reduce carbon emissions but also pave the way for a cleaner and greener future.
