How India’s first hydrogen-powered train works | Explained
India's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered train began operating on the Jind–Sonipat section of Northern Railway in Haryana, an 89-kilometre route connecting Jind Junction, Gohana Junction, and Sonipat.
The trainset is configured as a 10-coach passenger train with a capacity of around 2,600 passengers, comprising two Hydrogen Driving Power Cars (DPCs) and eight Trailer Coaches (TCs).
Indian Railways has set up the country's largest railway hydrogen refuelling facility at Jind to support the project, covering rolling stock, storage, dispensing infrastructure, and safety systems.
The train runs at an operational speed of 75 kmph on this section, with a design speed of 110 kmph, and carries multi-layer safety systems to detect hydrogen leaks, heat, flames, and smoke.
Indian Railways is exploring extending hydrogen technology to heritage routes, including the Kalka–Shimla line, building on lessons from the Jind–Sonipat pilot.
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Technology
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity, without combustion. In a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, hydrogen stored in onboard cylinders reacts with oxygen drawn from the atmosphere across a polymer membrane; this reaction produces electricity (to power traction motors), with water vapour and heat as the only by-products, making it a near-zero-emission propulsion method. This distinguishes hydrogen trains from diesel locomotives (which combust fuel, producing carbon and particulate emissions) and from pure battery-electric trains (which store electrical energy directly in batteries rather than generating it onboard via a chemical reaction).
Key Details
- Each Hydrogen Driving Power Car (DPC) on the Jind–Sonipat train houses the fuel cells, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, and hydrogen storage cylinders that together supply traction power — the batteries buffer power delivery and capture regenerative braking energy, while the fuel cell provides the primary sustained power.
- Unlike electric multiple units (EMUs) that draw power continuously from overhead wires, hydrogen trains carry their own onboard "power plant," allowing operation on unelectrified routes without the capital cost of overhead electrification infrastructure.
- The technology is particularly suited to routes where full electrification is not economically viable, such as heritage or lower-traffic lines.
The Jind–Sonipat train is a real-world deployment of PEM fuel cell technology at passenger-rail scale, demonstrating hydrogen propulsion as a viable alternative to both diesel traction and wire-based electrification on Indian Railways' unelectrified or partially electrified network.
National Green Hydrogen Mission and India's Hydrogen Ecosystem
The National Green Hydrogen Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on January 4, 2023, with an initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore, to make India a global hub for the production, usage, and export of green hydrogen — hydrogen produced via electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, as opposed to "grey" hydrogen produced from fossil fuels. The Mission's SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition) programme is its largest component and provides incentives for electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production.
Key Details
- National Green Hydrogen Mission outlay breakdown: Rs 17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, Rs 1,466 crore for pilot projects (including transport applications such as hydrogen trains/buses), Rs 400 crore for R&D, and Rs 388 crore for other Mission components.
- The Mission targets development of at least 5 million tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, alongside associated renewable energy capacity addition.
- Railway and heavy-transport pilots — including hydrogen trains and hydrogen fuel cell buses — fall under the Mission's pilot-projects component, positioning the Jind–Sonipat train as a transport-sector demonstration project under this broader national hydrogen strategy.
The Jind–Sonipat hydrogen train is one of the transport-sector pilot applications envisioned under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, linking a specific railway innovation to India's broader 2023 national strategy for building a green hydrogen production and application ecosystem.
- Route: Jind–Sonipat section, Northern Railway, Haryana; approximately 89 km, via Jind Junction, Gohana Junction, and Sonipat.
- Configuration: 10-coach trainset, approximately 2,600 passenger capacity; 2 Hydrogen Driving Power Cars + 8 Trailer Coaches.
- Speed: 75 kmph operational speed on this section; 110 kmph design speed.
- Propulsion: Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell + lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries; by-products are water vapour and heat.
- Supporting infrastructure: India's largest railway hydrogen refuelling facility, established at Jind.
- National Green Hydrogen Mission: approved January 4, 2023; outlay Rs 19,744 crore (SIGHT: Rs 17,490 crore; pilot projects: Rs 1,466 crore; R&D: Rs 400 crore; other: Rs 388 crore).