- Why in news
- On 17 July 2026, PM Modi flagged off India's first hydrogen train on the 90-km Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana, alongside projects worth about ₹14,700 crore.
- What it is
- India's hydrogen train is a 10-car trainset built in India as a pilot of Indian Railways. It makes electricity onboard from hydrogen in a PEM fuel cell, so it emits only water vapour and heat. It is backed by a hydrogen storage and refuelling facility at Jind.
- Route
- The train runs on the 90-km Jind–Sonipat section in Haryana.
- Size and power
- The train has ten coaches and 3,200 horsepower. The PM called it the most powerful of its kind globally; other countries' trains typically have three to four coaches.
- Indigenous design
- It was designed by Indian engineers and built by domestic manufacturers, presented as a Make in India example.
- Technology
- Hydrogen trains use fuel cells that combine hydrogen and oxygen to make electricity, emitting only water vapour. A PEM fuel cell uses a proton exchange membrane.
- Separate infrastructure
- Hydrogen trains need distinct, segregated support infrastructure such as production, storage and refuelling.
- Fuel cell type
- The train uses a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, which reacts hydrogen and oxygen across a polymer membrane. Its only byproducts are water vapour and heat.
- Speed
- Approved maximum operating speed is 75 kmph, against a design speed of 110 kmph.
- Refuelling facility
- Jind, Haryana has the country's largest railway hydrogen storage and refuelling facility, holding about 3,000 kg of hydrogen.
- Licence
- PESO granted the licence for storage and dispensing of compressed hydrogen gas at the site.
- Energy content
- Hydrogen holds 120 MJ/kg, against 43 MJ/kg for diesel.
Don’t confuse with Hydrogen fuel cell train vs electric train: An electric train draws power from overhead wires. A hydrogen train makes its own electricity from hydrogen onboard.
Don’t confuse with Fuel cell vs hydrogen combustion: A fuel cell converts hydrogen to electricity chemically without burning it. Combustion engines burn hydrogen.
Don’t confuse with Fuel cell vs battery: A battery stores chemical energy inside it. A fuel cell makes electricity as long as hydrogen is supplied from outside.
Don’t confuse with Green vs grey hydrogen: Green hydrogen is made by electrolysis using renewable power. Grey hydrogen is made from natural gas and emits carbon dioxide.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Cuts tailpipe emissions and diesel use on non-electrified or heritage routes.
- Builds domestic capability in green hydrogen technology and supports Make in India.
- Reduces dependence on diesel traction and supports net-zero goals.
- Builds indigenous capacity and supports the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
Problems
- Hydrogen production, storage and refuelling need costly separate infrastructure.
- Hydrogen is only green if made from renewable power; cost is high.
- The technology is nascent, with high costs of hydrogen production, storage and refuelling.
- Hydrogen is flammable and needs strict safety systems.
Way forward
- Link the trains to green hydrogen production under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
- Scale up gradually after assessing cost and safety on the pilot route.
- Scale up green hydrogen production so the train is truly low-carbon.
- Use pilot operating experience to set standards and decide on wider rollout.
Put in your answer
Railway electrification: Nearly 99 percent of the network is now electrified, against 30 percent between 1925 and 2014 (as stated by the PM).
Fuel import vulnerability: West Asia disruptions to maritime fuel routes show why reducing diesel dependence matters.
Link to National Green Hydrogen Mission: The project supports the National Green Hydrogen Mission and net-zero goals.
- 2023Prelims Q60Green hydrogen uses: direct combustion, natural gas blending, fuel cells
- 2010Prelims Q36Exhaust produced by hydrogen fuel cell vehicles: NH3, CH4, H2O or H2O2
- 2025Prelims Q41Which vehicle types include hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statement I and II
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following two statements about India's first hydrogen train, flagged off on the Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana:
- Statement-I: The train makes electricity onboard in a fuel cell that combines hydrogen and oxygen, and it emits only water vapour and heat.
- Statement-II: Hydrogen trains need distinct, segregated support infrastructure and cannot simply run on the existing infrastructure meant for diesel trains.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
True or false?
1 of 14
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The hydrogen train launched at Jind generates electricity onboard through a fuel cell and emits only water vapour and heat.
True. A PEM fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, with water as the by-product.
2.The train was launched on the Jind–Sonipat route of about 90 km.
True. The route is the 90-km Jind–Sonipat section.
3.The hydrogen train has four coaches, in line with similar trains abroad.
False. It has ten coaches, while foreign counterparts typically have three to four.
4.The train is described as having a capacity of 3,200 horsepower.
True. The release gives 3,200 horsepower.
5.In a PEM fuel cell, hydrogen is burned in an internal combustion engine to drive the train directly.
False. Hydrogen reacts electrochemically with oxygen across a membrane to produce electricity; it is not burned.
6.Hydrogen trains can run on the same infrastructure as diesel trains without any special support systems.
False. They need distinct, segregated support infrastructure.
7.The train's system was designed and built in India, and it was presented as an example of Make in India.
True. Indian engineers designed it and domestic firms built it.
8.The train generates electricity onboard through a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell.
True. The primary energy source is a PEMFC.
9.The only byproducts of the fuel cell process are water vapour and heat.
True. The process produces only water vapour and heat.
10.The train is approved to operate at a maximum speed of 110 kmph.
False. Approved maximum speed is 75 kmph; 110 kmph is the design speed.
11.The hydrogen storage and refuelling facility for the train has been licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation.
True. PESO granted the licence.
12.The train's design approval and technical specifications were prepared by the Research, Design & Standards Organisation.
True. RDSO prepared the design approval and specifications.
13.Per kilogram, hydrogen has a lower energy content than diesel.
False. Hydrogen has 120 MJ/kg, higher than diesel at 43 MJ/kg.
14.In a PEM fuel cell, electricity is produced by combustion of hydrogen in air.
False. A fuel cell produces electricity by an electrochemical reaction, not combustion.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.