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India railways has approved its first hydrogen-powered passenger train, and the project has now received formal approval from the Railway Board. The train will operate on the Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana, making the region a testing ground for one of the country's most ambitious green transportation projects. Railway officials confirmed that the 10-coach hydrogen fuel cell train has been cleared for operations and is expected to begin service soon after final preparations are completed.
The hydrogen-powered train is designed to run using a 1,200 KW fuel-cell propulsion system. Unlike conventional diesel trains, it produces electricity through a chemical reaction involving hydrogen, with water vapour being the only direct emission. Officials say this makes it a major step toward reducing carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels in the railway sector. The approved train will operate at a maximum speed of around 75 kmph on the dedicated Jind–Sonipat corridor. The train hence uses no electricity and no diesel.
The project places India among a relatively small group of countries—including Germany, Japan, China, and the United States—that are experimenting with hydrogen-powered rail transport. Indian Railway officials have described the initiative as part of India's larger clean-energy and net-zero emissions strategy. If the pilot proves successful, hydrogen-powered trains could eventually be introduced on additional routes across the country, especially on non-electrified sections where diesel locomotives still dominate.
Indian citizens are very cheerful about it and the discussion around the announcement has largely been positive. Many users on X and YouTube have called the project a “future-ready” step for Indian Railways and have compared it to similar hydrogen train experiments in Europe and East Asia. Supporters see the Sonipat project as evidence that India is moving beyond importing green technology and is beginning to build indigenous clean-transport systems. Several viral posts have highlighted that this is being presented as India's first indigenous hydrogen train project rather than a foreign technology demonstration.
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