The move comes just over two months after India introduced its first hydrogen-powered train, giving the railways two very different technologies for reducing fuel costs and mitigating emissions.
The new train does not run on LNG alone. Its two 1,400-horsepower Driving Power Cars (DPCs) have been converted to run on a combination of LNG and diesel, allowing the same engine to use either fuel depending on availability and operating requirements.
India’s first Hydrogen-powered train
Using oxygen from the atmosphere, hydrogen onboard is converted into electricity which powers the train, eliminating combustion and dependence on an external power supply. The process does not involve the emission of direct tailpipe carbon emissions, with the only by-product being the water vapour.
The two power cars, one at each end, produce 1,200 kW of power per DPC, together enough to push the entire train up to 110 kilometres per hour.
How the hydrogen train differs from an LNG train
Despite being grouped under the broader category of alternative-fuel trains, the LNG and hydrogen engines work in very different ways.
The hydrogen train has no combustion engine. Hydrogen is fed into fuel cells, where it reacts electrochemically with oxygen to generate electricity. This power, supported by onboard batteries, drives the train’s traction system.
This makes the distinction important: LNG is primarily a fuel-switching strategy, while hydrogen involves a change in the propulsion system itself.
What happens to emissions?
The two technologies also differ sharply on emissions.
Being a hydrocarbon, LNG combustion still involves the release of carbon dioxide. However, replacing part of the diesel used by the engine can significantly reduce emissions of CO₂, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, according to Indian Railways.
While the reaction onboard the hydrogen train produces electricity and water vapour, with no smoke or tailpipe carbon emissions.
Why LNG when hydrogen is already here?
LNG and hydrogen offer two different ways to reduce diesel dependence.
LNG allows existing diesel engines to run partly on natural gas, making it a relatively easier transition without completely replacing the existing propulsion system.
Hydrogen requires a more fundamental shift to fuel-cell-based electric propulsion, along with new infrastructure for producing, storing and refuelling hydrogen.
For Indian Railways, then, the two are not interchangeable. LNG cuts diesel use within the existing system, while hydrogen aims to replace combustion-based propulsion altogether.
