India’s first hydrogen train to debut in Haryana

Haryana is set to witness the launch of India’s first hydrogen-powered train.

Northern Railway’s ambitious project, which will operate between Jind and Sonipat, is in its final stages of preparation, a Haryana government statement said here on Tuesday.

A stable and uninterrupted 11 kV power supply has been ensured for the hydrogen plant established in Jind, which will provide fuel for the train during its final commissioning and regular operations.

The hydrogen plant established for this project has a storage capacity of 3,000 kilograms and is now in its final commissioning phase, it said.

Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi held a meeting with officials from Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) to review the project, and directed that regular reviews of the power supply system be conducted to prevent any obstacles to this ambitious project.

He also emphasised strengthening alternative arrangements and rapid response mechanisms.

Last month, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a written statement in the Lok Sabha, had said that the Indian Railways has taken up a state-of-the-art project for running its first hydrogen train on a pilot basis.

Vaishnaw had said the planned operation is according to specifications framed by the Research, Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO) to demonstrate the use of hydrogen-powered train technology.

“Manufacturing of the Hydrogen Train-set has been completed. For providing hydrogen for use in this train-set, a hydrogen plant has been conceived at Jind. In this plant, hydrogen is being produced using electrolysis process, which is a key element of green hydrogen generation,” Vaishnaw had said.