India unveils first hydrogen train at Jind

Updated Friday 17 July 2026

Named "NaMo Green Rail", the train is framed as part of India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat self-reliance drive and Indian Railways' declared carbon-neutrality target. India joins a small group of countries, including Germany, China and the UK, that have trialled or deployed hydrogen rail traction. The country runs one of the world's largest rail networks, with 85,000 kilometres of track carrying 7.41 billion passengers last year.

Technical specifications

The train has ten coaches, with two hydrogen-powered driving cars flanking eight passenger coaches, giving a capacity of close to 2,600 passengers. Each power car delivers 1,200 kilowatts, for a total hybrid output of 2,400 kW (3,200 hp), combining a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. Maximum design speed is 110 km/h; commercial service starts at 75 km/h. The system's only emissions are water vapour and heat.

Cost and rollout

According to a railway official quoted by AFP, the pilot project's cost is close to 12 million dollars, including ground infrastructure. A hydrogen storage tank with a capacity of nearly 3 tonnes has been installed at Jind. Under the "Hydrogen for Heritage" programme, conceived as early as 2020/2021, the ministry is considering rolling out 35 further trains on hill and heritage routes, at a budget originally estimated at 80 crore rupees per train and 70 crore per site.

The Railways Ministry acknowledges the train was designed, integrated by Medha Servo Drives in Hyderabad and assembled in India, at the ICF plant in Chennai, to specifications set by the RDSO. It also acknowledges that several components, including the fuel cells, remain imported, notably from Canada's Ballard Power Systems. The Jind refuelling facility has been certified by TÜV SÜD and cleared by the PESO regulator. With three-quarters of India's electricity still coming from coal, how genuinely "green" the hydrogen is will depend on the power source used for electrolysis.