At a recent discussion between railroads and manufacturing corporations, a number of leading companies, including BHEL, Hitachi, Siemens, Cummins, Wabtec, and Medha Servo, expressed interest in being involved in the project.
Indian Railways is currently working on a hydrogen fuel cell-powered train prototype, which will be a more environmentally friendly locomotive than a conventional diesel-powered one.
In an interview, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reportedly stated, “Now that we are almost fully electrified, our focus is on getting more and more renewable energy and increasing the intake of green energy.”
He stated that India is making “very well” progress toward developing the technology and that “by the end of current fiscal (year), we should be able to develop one prototype.” Few nations have the know-how to produce hydrogen-powered trains.
The trains would be produced using this technology in collaboration with national and international railroad system manufacturers. When the prototype is finished, an invitation to express interest should be sent out early next year, according to a livemint report.
At present, the railway runs eight heritage trains: the Matheran Hill Railway, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Kalka Shimla Railway, the Kangra Valley Railway, the Bilmora Waghai, the Mhow Patalpani, the Nilgiri Mountain Railways, and the Marwar-Devgarh. The steam engines power these trains. These trains will be converted into green, hydrogen-powered trains by the railways. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, previously stated that this is a component of the green strategy.
