INDIAN Railways (IR) plans to operate its first prototype hydrogen train on the 87km Jind - Sonipat line in the northern state of Haryana in December.

IR has partnered with German certification body TÜV Süd for an onboard hydrogen safety assessment. Following approval from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, a hydrogen production and refuelling station has been constructed at Jind.

This new plant will meet IR's requirements for the 35 trains that it intends to build and run in the first phase of the project, according to an official at GreenH Electrolysis, a joint venture of US-based H2B2 Electrolysis Technologies and India’s GR Promoter Group.

GreenH Electrolysis has also entered into a contract with Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives, which has been commissioned by IR to modify a DEMU to enable it to run on hydrogen. Each of these conversions is expected to cost Rs 800m ($US 9.7m) with an additional Rs 700m required for infrastructure development.

The initial tranche of hydrogen trains will operate mostly on narrow-gauge lines in the hilly terrain of northern and northeastern India as part of an initiative designated as Hydrogen for Heritage. “IR will look at increasing the number of these trains in the coming years,” an official says.

GreenH Electrolysis will provide the necessary equipment from its newly constructed manufacturing plant at Jhajjar, also in Haryana state. In order to achieve the first stage of production, a 1MW electrolyser will operate around the clock, with an expected output of 420kg of hydrogen per day.

The refuelling infrastructure will incorporate 3000kg of hydrogen storage, compressors and dispensers with precooler integration that will enable rapid refuelling, according to GreenH Electrolysis.

Net-zero emissions
The introduction of hydrogen trains is part of a wider IR programme to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. IR has been allocated Rs 28bn in government funding for the development of hydrogen -powered trains. The government also allocated Rs 6bn for the installation of hydrogen infrastructure on heritage routes.

While India does not face a hydrogen shortage, most of the hydrogen currently available is a byproduct of fossil fuel use. IR also faces the challenge of a lack of in-house technical expertise in building hydrogen-powered trains.