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After Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat, Indian Railways is preparing to run hydrogen train. Trials related to this have also been done. The route for the trial of the train has also been decided. The trial will be conducted on 89 km long track on Jind-Sonipat route of Haryana. The Railway Minister has talked about the trial of this train early next year. The Railway Ministry has allocated a budget of more than Rs 1,500 crore. This test will be conducted on 89 km long track on Jind-Sonipat route of Haryana.
New Delhi. After Vande Bharat, Indian Railways has now intensified its efforts to run hydrogen trains. Unlike many countries including Germany, France, Sweden, hydrogen trains will run in India. The trial of the country’s first hydrogen train will begin next year and preparations for commercial running will be completed by 2028. How different will this train be from the hydrogen trains of Germany, France and Sweden? Let’s find out.
Commercial train in Germany is 140 km. per hour and can run 600-800 km on one tank of hydrogen. It has fuel cell technology, which generates electricity and runs the engine. It runs on 100 percent hydrogen every day on a 75-mile route in the northeast of Germany. The first test of this train was done in France in 2021. But the government stopped the subsidy in 2025, due to which the train has not started yet. It is still in the planning stage in Sweden. But commercial running will start in 2027-28. Hydrogen shunting locomotive will arrive by 2027.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director Information and Publicity of the Railway Ministry, said that a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) has been made in India by converting it, which has 1200 HP power. Its successful test has been done in ICF Chennai in July 2025. India will focus on local hydrogen production, which will be cheap and self-reliant. The Railway Ministry has allocated a budget of more than Rs 1,500 crore.
According to the Railway Ministry, its trial will start from January 2026. This is a big step towards Net Zero Mission. Learning from Germany-France-Sweden, India will make its trains cheaper and stronger. This test will be conducted on 89 km long track on Jind-Sonipat route of Haryana.
Hydrogen train fare in India
According to an estimate, the fare will not be kept high in India, so that common passengers can travel through it. According to experts, the fare may be higher than the sleeper fare. Although it is still in trial, it will be a little difficult to make a clear estimate regarding the fare.
some trials successful
According to the Railway Ministry, the work of Project Hydrogen Fuel Cell and infrastructure is being done as a pilot project. Its trial has been successful. The design of the cell and the hydrogen plant have been approved. Global agencies have given approval regarding hydrogen safety.
Plan to run 35 trains initially
Railways has planned 35 hydrogen trains under Hydrogen Heritage, in which the cost of each train is Rs 80 crore and land infrastructure is Rs 70 crore. Preparation to run heritage and hill routes.
