NEW DELHI, Dec 20: India will roll out its first domestically produced, hydrogen-powered train in December, next year, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The design is expected to be out by May or June next year and the train named ‘Vande Metro’ will replace those designed in 1950s and 60s.
Vande Metro will take care of middle-class and the poor and the focus is not on the high-end customer, the minister said. The Vande Metro trains will be manufactured in large numbers he added.
The minister said currently most trains in India run on diesel or electricity. Governments and energy companies around the world were betting on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, though its future uses and costs remain uncertain.
In August, Germany became the first country in the world to run hydrogen-powered trains. These trains emit no pollution and produce little noise, emitting just steam and evaporated water.
(Manas Dasgupta)
