India’s first hydrogen fuel cell train set likely to be rolled out from ICF in April-May
India’s first hydrogen fuel cell train (also called hydrails) set is likely to be rolled out from Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, in April or May. In the final stage of completion, the train set is being built by the Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drive Pvt inside the ICF premise at Perambur. The train has been ordered by Northern Railways, said sources.
The cost of the 10-rake formation is ₹118.24 crore. A pilot project on the Jind–Sonipat section of Northern Railway will convert a 1200 KW DEMU into a hydrogen fuel-cell-based Distributed Power Rolling Stock, thus producing zero emissions, sources said.
The work entails retrofitment of a 1600 HP DEMU (10 car rake) and setting up a Hydrogen fuelling plant at Jind. The 1600 HP DEMU rake will consist of two distributed power control systems and eight trailer coaches.
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In his Republic Day address, U Subba Rao, General Manager, ICF, said that ICF is working on its flagship project for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell train set and is likely to be turned out by March. However, the rollout is delayed by a month or two.
Guidance, the Tamil Nadu government’s nodal agency for investment promotion and single window facilitation also celebrated the fact that the State will manufacture the country’s first hydrogen train.
In a social media post it said, “India’s first hydrogen train is all set to roll out this month from Chennai, marking a major milestone in the country’s railway evolution. At the heart of this transformation, Tamil Nadu is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse in train component manufacturing, backed by a strong ecosystem of MSMEs and MNCs. Fueled by technological advancements and skilled talent, the State is strengthening its supply chain, creating jobs and driving innovation: one component at a time.”
In March 2023, the Ministry of Railways announced development of 35 hydrogen fuel-cell-based trains for various heritage/hill routes has been included in Budget 2023-24 at a cost of ₹2,800 crore. Further, setting up of Hydrogen Infrastructure for heritage routes has also been included at a cost of ₹600 crores.
Globally, there are some case studies on the Hydrogen fuel cell train. Alstom’s Coradia iLint was amongst the first to operate hydrails, transporting passengers in North America. It carried more than 10,000 passengers in a demonstration project in Quebec from mid-June to the end-of-September 2023 on the Réseau Charlevoix rail network along the Saint-Lawrence River.
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The French firm Alstom also partnered with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to operate and provide demonstrations for the first passenger hydrogen-powered train in Riyadh. Germany already has retro-fitted hydrails; and China is already testing its own version of such rolling stock.
However, a few are sceptical of this development.
“Hydrogen trains in India are a misguided pursuit—costly, inefficient and environmentally counterproductive. With a coal-dominated grid and no hydrogen infrastructure, using renewable energy directly is far smarter. Electrification remains the real path to decarbonization, not hydrogen hype,” said Lalit Trivedi, former General Manager, East Central Railways. Creating an infrastructure for H2 generation and distribution is more difficult than the bullet train project. It will be financially disastrous, he told businessline.
