Indian Railways is preparing to operate the country’s first hydrogen-powered train at speeds of up to 110 kmph after successfully completing trials at 120 kmph, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar said on Sunday.
The train’s operational speed has so far been limited to 75 kmph on the 89-km Jind–Sonipat section in Haryana. “The operational speed of the hydrogen train has so far been kept at 75 kmph. However, trials have been completed for a speed of 120 kmph. After that, efforts are now underway to operate it at a maximum speed of 110 kmph,” Kumar told reporters in Indore.
He said the Railways was consulting stakeholders on which sections the hydrogen train could run, and was examining technical requirements and arrangements for fuel supply.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first hydrogen-powered train on July 17. Unlike conventional electric trains that draw power from overhead lines, a hydrogen fuel-cell trainset generates electricity onboard through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The process produces water vapour and heat, with no combustion, smoke or tailpipe carbon emissions.
Kumar also updated progress on Vande Bharat sleeper trains. The first such service is running between Howrah and Kamakhya (Guwahati). Four more trains have been completed and are expected to be inaugurated in the coming days. The Railways is expected to receive 11 more Vande Bharat sleeper trains this year. As many as 200 such trains are being built under the public-private partnership model, with each expected to take about one to one-and-a-half years to complete.
For the Simhastha festival in Ujjain in 2028, Kumar said the Railways plans to run 100 to 125 special trains and is strengthening infrastructure for the large gathering.
He said artificial intelligence was being integrated with CCTV cameras to improve security at stations and on trains, and that steps were also being taken to deal with the problem of rats in coaches.
On the Rs 18,500-crore Indore–Manmad railway line, approved in 2024-25, Kumar said land acquisition was moving rapidly and the project was expected to be completed in four to five years.
Accompanied by senior officials, he reviewed works in and around Indore, including new lines, the redevelopment of Indore railway station and other infrastructure.
