All you want to know about India’s first Hydrogen train

These Hydrogen trains will be introduced on narrow-gauge routes like Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Matheran Hill Railway, Kangra Valley, Bilmora Waghai, and Marwar-Devgarh Madriya.

"In Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman has allocated Rs 2.41 lakh crore for Railways. It will fulfill the aspirations of every passenger. The budget outlay for the railways is nine times the amount provided in 2013-2014," Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

What are Hydrogen trains?

These trains use hydrogen fuel cells rather than traditional diesel engines, which produce electricity by converting hydrogen and oxygen to power the train’s motors. The trains will ensure environmentally friendly travel as they don’t emit pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or particulate matter. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy sources like wind, solar, or hydropower, making the fuel supply for the trains clean and renewable.

There are, of course, limitations, the high cost being a major impediment, green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, costs about Rs 490 per g in India, according to research and rating agency ICRA. Consequently, the operating cost of a fuel cell-based hydrogen engine is 27% higher than that of a diesel engine.