{"id":57064,"date":"2025-07-28T11:33:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=57064"},"modified":"2025-07-28T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:12:25","slug":"indias-hydrogen-train-coach-a-milestone-for-green-railways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-hydrogen-train-coach-a-milestone-for-green-railways\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Hydrogen Train Coach: A Milestone for Green Railways"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>India Hydrogen Train Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Railways has successfully tested its first hydrogen-powered coach at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, marking a major step towards launching India\u2019s first hydrogen-powered train.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This eco-friendly initiative supports India\u2019s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting renewable energy use.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The project, now in its final stage, is undergoing equipment testing before commercial rollout. Using hydrogen\u2014a clean fuel\u2014will help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Only a few countries have attempted such projects, most of which remain in the trial phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Indian Railways\u2019 Hydrogen Train Project: Key Details<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched by Northern Railway in 2020-21, the hydrogen train project involves converting two 1600 HorsePower (HP) diesel power cars into hydrogen fuel cell-powered units.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The project also includes setting up a <\/span><b>hydrogen storage and fuelling facility at Jind<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Haryana, with a storage capacity of 3,000 kg of hydrogen.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Research Design &amp; Standards Organisation (RDSO) is leading the design, testing, and validation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The converted train, comprising 10 coaches and capable of carrying over 2,600 passengers, will operate between Jind and Sonepat in Haryana, covering two daily round trips of 356 km.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How India\u2019s First Hydrogen Train Will Operate Safely<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Railways\u2019 hydrogen train project involves <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">retrofitting two diesel power cars with hydrogen fuel cell systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, each storing 220 kg of hydrogen in specially designed cylinders at 350 bar pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given hydrogen&#8217;s highly flammable nature, multiple safety measures have been built in, including pressure relief valves, leak and flame detection sensors, temperature monitors, and optimized ventilation systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies have been conducted to simulate worst-case leak scenarios.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extensive testing of key components\u2014like the traction and auxiliary converters\u2014has been completed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To ensure global safety standards, German firm TUV-SUD has been brought in as an independent safety auditor, while the engineering is led by Medha Servo Drives at ICF Chennai.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Hydrogen Fuelling Facility at Jind: Backbone of India\u2019s Hydrogen Train Project<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A dedicated 3,000-kg hydrogen fuelling facility is being established at Jind in Haryana to support the operation of India\u2019s first hydrogen-powered train.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The storage is split into two parts \u2014 2,320 kg at low pressure and 680 kg at high pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The facility will function under the safety norms and specifications of the Petroleum Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), ensuring strict adherence to national standards.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Northern Railway is also developing supporting infrastructure, including power supply lines, access roads, and a firefighting tank, to make the facility fully operational.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Hydrogen for Heritage: A Green Transport Vision<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tested coach is part of the \u201cHydrogen for Heritage\u201d initiative, under which Indian Railways plans to deploy 35 hydrogen-powered trains on heritage and hill routes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each train will cost around \u20b980 crore, with an additional \u20b970 crore earmarked for ground infrastructure per route.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the running costs of hydrogen-powered trains are currently high, they are expected to fall as scale and efficiency improve.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main appeal of hydrogen lies in its zero carbon emissions, aligning with India\u2019s green energy goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s hydrogen ambitions are not limited to the rail sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri presented a hydrogen-fueled bus, developed by Indian Oil, to Bhutan\u2019s Prime Minister during his visit \u2014 underscoring India\u2019s broader commitment to clean mobility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/business\/indian-railways-first-hydrogen-powered-coach-10152909\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ddnews.gov.in\/en\/india-tests-first-hydrogen-train-coach-boosts-green-rail-push\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DDN<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Railways tests first hydrogen-powered coach, a major step toward eco-friendly, zero-emission transport on heritage routes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":57073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1847,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-57064","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-india-hydrogen-train","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}