India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train set to begin operations
India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train will begin pilot operations on the Jind–Sonipat section of Northern Railway on 17 July 2026, highlighting hydrogen fuel cell technology, indigenous design, and railway decarbonisation.
- Indian Railways will begin operations of India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train on the Jind–Sonipat section on 17 July 2026.
- The hydrogen refuelling facility at Jind stores nearly 3,000 kg of hydrogen at a time and has a licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation for storage and dispensing of compressed hydrogen gas.
- The train has been developed in accordance with design approval and technical specifications prepared by the Research, Design & Standards Organisation.
What happened
Indian Railways will begin operations of India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train on 17 July 2026. The train will run on the Jind–Sonipat section of Northern Railway as a pilot project for clean rail transport.
The project combines hydrogen fuel cell propulsion, hydrogen storage, refuelling infrastructure, and operational safety systems. Indian Railways says the project is designed to test the feasibility of hydrogen-powered rail mobility in India.
UPSC may frame India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train around the feasibility, safety, costs, and scalability of hydrogen fuel cell traction in Indian Railways, along with the role of indigenous design and infrastructure readiness in the transition to low-carbon transport.
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