India To Get Its First Hydrogen-Powered Train in 2023

By the next Independence Day, India will launch its first hydrogen-powered train, that will be designed, developed, and manufactured in the country, according to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

"India has been able to build trains which are among the best in the world, and the next big thing will be when the hydrogen-powered train is rolled out on August 15, 2023," the minister said. 

Last month, Germany welcomed the world's first hydrogen-powered train. Hydrogen gas is a clean energy source.

"The Vande Bharat Express, a semi-high speed and one of the fastest trains, is developed indigenously in India using in-house technology, and the train has been running smoothly without any major breakdowns for the last two years," the minister added. 

According to Vaishnaw, the Vande Bharat Express took only 52 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h, compared to 55 seconds for a renowned Japanese Bullet train. 

Currently, two Vande Bharat trains are running between New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Katra stations.

The minister said that a train, built at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, was recently found to be among the best five trains in the world, reports Economic Times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed the engineers to design trains of the highest calibre and be stable, safe, and energy-efficient, Vaishnaw stated.