Rail cars powered by new fuel cell technology will run in a 89-km stretch carrying up to 2,600 travelers at 75 kph

India has rolled out a hydrogen train service as a pilot project using fuel-cell technology, joining an elite four-nation group that operates these trains.

The pilot project is envisaged to test hydrogen technology, as the world's most populous country embraces clean technologies for the travel needs of its 1.4 billion citizens. Only Germany, Japan, the US, and China have hydrogen-powered rail services.

The hydrogen train will run on an 89-km stretch in the northern state of Haryana between Jind and Sonipat. It will have a maximum operational speed of 75 kph and can go up to 110 kph.

The train, which can carry up to 2,600 passengers, has ten cars - two hydrogen-powered driving cars and eight passenger coaches - making it the largest train in the hydrogen category.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the inaugural ceremony on Friday morning, called it "a major leap towards green mobility" for the country in an X post.

Hydrogen fuel-cells convert hydrogen to electricity using an electrochemical process to run the train. The byproducts are water vapor and heat, making it an attractive alternative to diesel, which emits carbon dioxide, soot, and other exhaust gases.

However, it is less energy efficient than direct-electric trains which draw power from an overhead wire or third rail.

Refueling is quicker compared to recharging large batteries. The pilot project includes hydrogen storage and refueling facilities.

Hydrogen trains can easily fill the gaps in India's 115,000 km railway network - among the largest in the world - where lines have not been electrified, or where electrification is not viable.

The overall carbon benefit is greatest when the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy, as India is doing.

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Germany tested the first hydrogen-powered passenger train - Alstom's Coradia iLint - in March 2017 and rolled out regular commercial passenger service in 2018.

The two-passenger car train logged a 1,175 km journey without refueling in 2022.

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(RT.com)