New Delhi: Hydrogen-powered trains will be part of Indian Railways’ fleet by this year itself.
In what is expected to revolutionise travel in India, hydrogen trains will first be rolled out on eight Heritage lines.
The first indigenously designed and built hydrogen train will be introduced in December 2023, Union Minister for Railways & Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw had said earlier.
These trains will be equipped with Vistadome coaches, with every coach being equipped with a propulsion unit.
Following are the Heritage routes where Ministry of Railways has decided to introduce hydrogen-powered trains:
* Matheran Hill Railway — 19.97 km
* Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — 88.6 km
* Kalka -Shimla Railway — 96.5 km
* Kangra Valley Railway — 164 km
* Bilmora-Waghai Route — 62.7 km
* Mhow-Patalpani Route — 58 km
* Nilgiri Mountain Route — 46 km
* Marwar Devgarh Madriya Route — 52 km.
The Central government’s ‘Hydrogen for Heritage’ plan is aimed to promote use of green energy in public transport systems.
The hydrogen-powered trains will be introduced on both narrow and meter gauge tracks.
