India's First Indigenous Hydrogen-Powered Train Born

India's Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has successfully tested its first indigenously developed hydrogen-powered train coach. This breakthrough marks a revolutionary new phase for India's railway network and positions India among the global leaders in hydrogen mobility within the railway sector.

Since 2022, the ICF has been working on developing hydrogen battery trains by retrofitting existing diesel train units. According to the developer, the train's power system has a total output of 2,400 kW, with 1,600 kW coming from fuel cells supplied by Ballard (US) and 800 kW from supporting batteries. It has a range of 375 kilometers, a maximum speed of 110 km/h, and can carry 2,638 passengers. Unlike the common 2-3 carriage configuration of similar trains from other manufacturers, India's hydrogen-powered train adopts a 10-car formation (including 2 power head cars and 8 non-power cars).

The train operates without relying on diesel or electricity, which is not only a major milestone in the development of Indian Railways but also provides key support for India to achieve its ambitious goal of becoming a "net-zero carbon emission country" by 2030.