Countries like Germany and China have worked on hydrogen fuel in rail transport, but so far only Germany has a successful hydrogen train in operation. The train there has just two coaches.
Indian Rail Hydrogen Train: Indian Railways has taken a step towards achieving another major milestone with preparations to launch a hydrogen-powered train. This state-of-the-art train will soon run for trial runs between Jind and Sonipat railway stations in Haryana. The design of this hydrogen train has been developed by the Railway’s Research, Design and Standards Organization (RDSO). The design was finalized in December 2021. Work on its construction has been going on continuously since then. The final trial of this train is likely to take place in the first quarter of next year.
According to India Today report, RDSO Director General Uday Borwankar said, “RDSO constantly focuses on new and innovative projects. The use of hydrogen fuel has been successful in road transport. It has not yet been widely used in railways. This effort of India will be a major achievement in the field of sustainable energy.”
8 coaches and capacity of 2,638 passengers
This train will have 8 passenger coaches, in which 2,638 passengers can travel at a time. The maximum speed of the train will be 110 km/h. It will have three coaches for hydrogen cylinders, fuel cell converters, batteries and air reserve. This train is considered especially suitable for short distance travel. Currently, the integration work of the train is in progress at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
Hydrogen-powered trains use electricity generated from a fuel cell of hydrogen and oxygen to run the motor. Countries like Germany and China have worked on hydrogen fuel in rail transport, but so far only Germany has a successful hydrogen train operating. There are only two coaches in the train.
This train is fit for the environment
This hydrogen train of India is considered an important initiative not only from a technical point of view but also in terms of environmental protection. Its goal is to promote the use of green energy.
What will be the name of the train
The name of the train has not been decided yet. The model of this train was displayed with the name “Namo Green Rail” at the recently held International Innovative Rail Expo. However, officials have clarified that the official name will be decided at the time of launch.
