Indian Railways Runs Its First LNG-Diesel Dual-Fuel Train
Indian Railways flagged off the country's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and diesel dual-fuel train from Sabarmati in Gujarat, running on the Sabarmati to Mahesana Junction section.
The eight-coach, non-air-conditioned chair-car train uses two 1,400 horsepower Driving Power Cars that were converted at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot to run on a mix of LNG and diesel.
The dual-fuel technology lets the power cars replace close to 40% of their diesel use with LNG, after the converted units completed more than 2,000 kilometres of field trials.
The move is part of Indian Railways' larger target of ending diesel use entirely by 2030, alongside its ongoing shift to electric traction.
Western Railway's Ahmedabad Division will operate and maintain this train.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Definition and Global Trade
Liquefied Natural Gas, or LNG, is simply natural gas (mostly a gas called methane) that has been cooled down until it turns into a liquid. You can think of it like turning steam back into water by cooling it, except this "steam" is natural gas and it needs to be cooled to a very low temperature.
This new Sabarmati-Mahesana train is the first time Indian Railways has used LNG, rather than CNG, in a dual-fuel setup, extending the same idea of cutting diesel use with natural gas to a new route as part of the wider push toward Indian Railways becoming diesel-free.
Mission 100% Electrification and Net Zero Carbon Railways
Indian Railways has set a target of becoming a "net-zero carbon emitter" by 2030. This means the railways want to reach a point where the greenhouse gases they release, mainly from burning diesel, come down to as close to zero as possible, mainly by replacing diesel trains with electric ones and cutting energy waste.
The new LNG dual-fuel train is a targeted step within this bigger Mission 100% Electrification and net-zero push. It shows Indian Railways using cleaner-fuel technology on specific power cars and routes to cut diesel use even further, alongside its near-complete electrification of the broad-gauge network, as it works toward the 2030 net-zero target.
- LNG-diesel train flagged off: 27 September 2026, Sabarmati to Mahesana Junction
- LNG replaces about 40% of diesel use in converted power cars; over 2,000 km of trials completed
- Estimated savings: ~₹11.9 lakh/year per power car, ~₹23.9 lakh/year per rake
- Indian Railways broad-gauge electrification: 99.6% (70,002 of 70,271 route km) as of 31 May 2026
- Net-zero carbon emitter target: 2030 (announced July 2020)
- Diesel use fell from 293 crore litres (2015-16) to 108 crore litres (2024-25), about a 63% drop