India put its first domestically built hydrogen-powered passenger train into service on Thursday, joining a small group of nations operating zero-emission rail systems.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural journey from Jind in Haryana state. The 10-coach train, named NaMo Green Rail, will run two return trips daily on a roughly 90-kilometre route between Jind and Sonipat, carrying about 2,600 passengers at speeds up to 75 km/h. Loco pilot Chandrakant Kumar said the train runs on hydrogen and produces no carbon emissions. Operating staff completed four days of specialized training in Chennai ahead of the launch.
The project cost approximately $12 million, with imported 1,200-kilowatt fuel cells and a hydrogen refuelling tank built in Jind. India, which aims for net-zero railway emissions by 2030, becomes the latest country after Germany, Japan, China, and the United States to explore hydrogen-powered rail.