PM to flag off India’s first hydrogen train: How they work, and why they haven’t picked pace globally
India's first hydrogen fuel-cell powered passenger train is set to be flagged off on the Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana, developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
The explainer situates the launch within the global history of hydrogen train technology, tracing how fuel-cell trains generate power and why, despite a decade of pilots, they remain a niche technology worldwide
Germany's Coradia iLint, the world's first hydrogen-powered passenger train, entered commercial service in 2018, followed by pilot and test programmes in China, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom
Globally, hydrogen trains have struggled to scale beyond pilot fleets, with several European operators increasingly favouring battery-electric trains for the same non-electrified routes hydrogen trains were designed to serve
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Propulsion vs Battery-Electric and Overhead Electric Traction
A hydrogen fuel cell generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen (stored onboard in high-pressure tanks) and atmospheric oxygen, producing only water vapour and heat as by-products; this electricity drives traction motors. This differs from a Battery Electric Multiple Unit (BEMU), which stores grid-charged electricity in onboard batteries, and from conventional electric traction, which draws continuous power from overhead catenary wires or a third rail.
Key Details
- Hydrogen is typically stored onboard at 350–700 bar pressure; refuelling is faster than battery recharging but requires dedicated hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure at depots
- Fuel cell trains need less trackside infrastructure than full-route electrification, making them attractive for branch lines where wiring is uneconomical
- A 2024 technical study by Germany's VDE (Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) found battery-electric trains can be roughly 35% cheaper to buy and operate than hydrogen fuel-cell equivalents on comparable routes, due to the compounding energy losses in green-hydrogen electrolysis (under 80% efficient) and onboard fuel-cell conversion (under 70% efficient)
- Fuel cells also require more frequent, complex maintenance than batteries, with stack replacement typically needed within a few years of operation
The Jind–Sonipat train tests hydrogen propulsion on a specific non-electrified branch route; its long-term viability in India will depend on whether it proves more cost-effective there than the battery-electric or full-electrification alternatives increasingly preferred elsewhere.
Global Hydrogen Rail Landscape — Why Adoption Has Stayed Limited
Hydrogen trains have been piloted across multiple countries but remain confined to small fleets rather than large-scale rollout, primarily because battery-electric and full electrification options have proven more cost-efficient for most routes in head-to-head, technology-neutral tenders.
Key Details
- Germany: Alstom's Coradia iLint became the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell passenger train, entering commercial service on 16 September 2018 on the Buxtehude–Bremervörde–Bremerhaven–Cuxhaven line in Lower Saxony; it can travel 600–800 km on a full tank at speeds up to 140 kmph. Germany has since tendered far more route-kilometres for battery-electric trains than for hydrogen trains
- China: CRRC, with Chengdu Rail Transit, developed a hydrogen-powered train with a range of about 600 km, using onboard liquefied hydrogen storage
- Japan: JR East, Hitachi, and Toyota jointly developed the HYBARI test train (unveiled 2022), which combines hydrogen fuel cells with onboard batteries in a hybrid configuration; JR East aims to begin commercial operations around 2030
- The core constraint everywhere is cost: producing "green" hydrogen via electrolysis powered by renewable energy remains capital-intensive, and the full hydrogen value chain (production, compression, transport, storage, refuelling) adds cost layers that competing battery-electric systems avoid
India's pilot mirrors a pattern seen in Germany, China, and Japan — a first-mover demonstration project on a defined route — rather than a signal of imminent large-scale replacement of diesel traction with hydrogen across the network.
National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) — India's Broader Hydrogen Push
The National Green Hydrogen Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2023, aims to position India as a global hub for the production, use, and export of green hydrogen — hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy, distinguished from "grey hydrogen" (produced from natural gas) and "blue hydrogen" (fossil-based, with carbon capture).
Key Details
- Nodal ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
- Initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore up to 2029-30, including Rs 17,490 crore for the SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition) programme, Rs 1,466 crore for pilot projects, and Rs 400 crore for R&D
- Target: at least 5 MMT (million metric tonnes) per annum of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, with about 125 GW of associated renewable energy capacity addition
- Expected to avert nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2-equivalent emissions and create over 6 lakh jobs by 2030
Hydrogen-powered rail transport is one of several pilot end-use applications (alongside hydrogen buses and shipping trials) envisaged under the Mission to help build early demand for domestically produced green hydrogen.
- India's first hydrogen train: Jind–Sonipat route, Haryana; developed by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
- World's first hydrogen-powered passenger train: Alstom Coradia iLint, entered service 16 September 2018 (Germany); range 600–800 km, top speed 140 kmph
- VDE (2024) study: battery-electric trains found to be up to ~35% cheaper than hydrogen fuel-cell trains on comparable routes
- National Green Hydrogen Mission: approved January 2023; outlay Rs 19,744 crore; target 5 MMT/annum green hydrogen production by 2030
- Only by-product of hydrogen fuel-cell operation: water vapour and heat
- Countries with hydrogen train pilots/trials: Germany, China, Japan, France, United Kingdom