Overview
- The Railway Board formally sanctioned a domestically built 10‑coach hydrogen fuel‑cell DEMU in a May 22 letter, clearing operation on the dedicated Jind–Sonipat section with a certified top speed of 75 km/h.
- The trainset is made up of two driving power cars and eight passenger coaches with 2,400 kW total power and completed oscillation and trial runs under RDSO oversight.
- PESO has granted a licence for compressed hydrogen filling and storage at the Jind refuelling facility and a dedicated hydrogen production, storage and dispensing system has been installed there.
- Approval is tightly conditional: Northern Railway must finish compliance reports for RDSO, CCRS, PESO and international inspectors, maintenance is assigned to Shakurbasti with the train hauled dead for depot work, and the first three months of service must include trained technical staff onboard and 24×7 monitoring.
- The pilot tests India’s zero‑on‑site‑CO2 hydrogen traction as part of a wider plan to cut diesel use and expand hydrogen fleets, but rollout will hinge on durable refuelling reliability, spare parts and staff certification before any commercial service begins.