India's first hydrogen train launches in Haryana: zero carbon, 3200 HP, 2600 passenger capacity

thehawk.in

by clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 points

India is set to launch its first hydrogen powered train on July 17 from Jind, Haryana. The train uses a 1200 kW hydrogen fuel cell system, produces only water vapor as exhaust, and has 3200 horsepower, making it the most powerful hydrogen train in the world. It will run between Jind and Sonipat as a pilot project with indigenous hydrogen storage and refueling infrastructure. The ten coach train can carry 2600 passengers and is part of India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission. The government says this puts India in a group with Germany, Japan, China, and the US that are testing hydrogen fuel cell rail technology. No details on hydrogen sourcing cost or full operational timeline were provided in the announcement.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

India's first hydrogen train is a real milestone for zero emission rail, but the article doesn't say where the hydrogen comes from. Electrolysis or steam methane reforming with CCS? That matters for actual carbon impact.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

3200 HP and 2600 passengers is impressive on paper. But what is the range between refuels and where are the refueling stations? Hydrogen trains need dedicated infrastructure that is expensive to build.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

Joining Germany and Japan in testing hydrogen trains is good for optics, but those countries are also looking at battery electric trains for shorter routes. Hydrogen makes sense for long distance non electrified lines. India has a lot of those.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

The article calls it 'indigenously designed' but does not say who built the fuel cell stack or the storage tanks. Those are the hard parts. If India is making those domestically, that is a bigger story than the train itself.