NEW DELHI, July 17 — The curious thing about hydrogen trains is that they look like ordinary electric trains but carry their power plant on board. Indian Railways has now joined a small global club of operators running them, with the launch of its first indigenous hydrogen-powered train, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 10-coach trainset will operate on the 89-kilometre Jind–Sonipat section of the Northern Railway in Haryana. It is a zero-emission vehicle, meaning it releases no exhaust pollutants at the point of use. The propulsion system is a 1200 kW hydrogen fuel cell, which generates electricity onboard by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the air, producing only water vapour as a byproduct.
Designed in India
The train was designed and developed entirely within the country by the Research, Design & Standards Organisation, or RDSO. The project sits under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the government’s push for self-reliance in manufacturing and technology. This is not a licensed or imported design; the engineering work was done in-house.
The trainset can carry around 2,600 passengers. Its approved maximum operating speed is 75 kmph, though it has a design speed of 110 kmph. That makes it suited for regional and suburban corridors rather than high-speed mainline routes.
How the technology works
The science behind a hydrogen fuel cell train is straightforward. Instead of drawing power from overhead wires or a third rail, the train carries pressurised hydrogen tanks. The fuel cell stack converts hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction, which then powers traction motors. The only exhaust is water.
The project includes dedicated hydrogen storage and refuelling infrastructure along the route. That is a significant piece of the puzzle: hydrogen is not as easy to handle as diesel or electricity, and building the supply chain is part of the challenge.
A select group
With this launch, India joins a small number of countries exploring hydrogen-powered rail. Germany, Japan, China, and the United States have all run hydrogen train projects. Germany was the first to put a hydrogen passenger train into commercial service, in 2018. India’s entry is notable because it is a homegrown design rather than an off-the-shelf purchase from a European manufacturer.
What researchers and railway engineers will be watching next is how the train performs in daily service on the Jind–Sonipat section. Hydrogen fuel cells are still more expensive than diesel engines or electric traction, and the infrastructure costs are high. But for routes that are not electrified — and India still has thousands of kilometres of unelectrified track — hydrogen offers a way to run clean trains without stringing overhead wires.
