Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen-powered passenger train connecting Jind and Sonepat in Haryana, calling it a major leap towards the country’s transition towards green mobility and a proud symbol of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).
With the launch, India has joined a select group of countries operating hydrogen-powered trains and marks an important step towards the adoption of clean and sustainable mobility in the railway sector.
“Today, Indian Railways has taken a massive leap in this 21st-century technology, which holds immense potential for future expansion,” Modi said addressing a public gathering later.
Stating that the 19th century was fundamentally defined by steam engines and the 20th century by electrical power, the PM said the 21st century will be driven by hydrogen mobility.
Modi linked the launch to the government’s long-term strategy of reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Referring to the recent conflict in West Asia and the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, the PM said India’s rail network would have suffered severely had the country continued to rely on diesel-powered trains.
“For several months, the Strait of Hormuz has virtually become a battlefield. Petrol, diesel, LPG, gas and fertilisers reach India through this route. Had such a situation arisen before 2014, when nearly 70 per cent of our trains ran on diesel, railway operations across the country would have been badly affected. But we planned ahead and accelerated electrification before such challenges emerged,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“For several months, the Strait of Hormuz has virtually become a battlefield. Petrol, diesel, LPG, gas and fertilisers reach India through this route. Had such a situation arisen before 2014, when nearly 70 per cent of our trains ran on diesel, railway operations across the country would have been badly affected. But we planned ahead and accelerated electrification before such challenges emerged,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Modi also took a veiled dig at the previous Congress-led Union government, saying had the situation due to West Asia conflict arisen before 2014, the work of Indian Railways would have come to a standstill.
“At that time, in large parts of our country our trains used to run on diesel only. Had diesel supplies been disrupted then, how would diesel-powered trains have operated? The country would have faced a massive crisis,” he said. “It is Modi, who thinks well before and also turns solutions to problems into reality on the ground.”
Talking about the train, the PM said only three to four countries have the capability of running hydrogen-powered train. “At other places in world, hydrogen train has three to four coaches only. But in India, this train has 10 coaches,” he said, adding that the train has 3,200 horsepower and it is not only the most powerful, but also the longest one.
“Today Haryana’s Jind and Sonepat entered history. Just as Mumbai and Thane are remembered for India’s first train, Jind and Sonepat will now always be known for India’s first hydrogen train,” he said.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini were present at the flagging-off event.
Later, the prime minister also dedicated to the nation and laid foundation stone of various development projects worth ₹14,700 crore in Haryana, including government medical colleges, railway and highway infrastructure, saying they would strengthen connectivity, healthcare and employment across the state.