Indian Railways News: Country’s first hydrogen train covers 89 km from Jind to Sonipat in 2 hours | Today’s news
India’s first hydrogen-powered train, scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 17, will cover a distance of 89 km between Jind and Sonipat in two hours, with stops at 12 intermediate stations, news agency PTI reported.
According to an official release issued by the Railway Board for Northern Railway on July 8, Hydrogen Train No. 74010 will depart Jind station at 7:40 am during its regular service and reach Sonipat at 9:40 am, the news agency said.
The train stops at 12 intermediate stations, Jind City, Pandu Pindara, Lalit Khera, Bhambeva, Ishapur Kheri, Butana, Khandrai, Gohana, Rabhra, Lath, Mohana Haryana and Barwasni.
On the return journey, Train No. 74009 will depart from Sonipat at 10:40 AM and reach Jind at 1:00 PM stopping at the same stations en route.
The Railway Board has also directed the Northern Railway to start the country’s first train service as soon as possible after the inauguration by the Prime Minister on July 17.
“The train will be operated as a special inaugural service on July 17. The date of commencement of regular passenger service has not been decided yet. We have asked the Northern Railway to finalize it as soon as possible and inform us about it,” said a senior Railway Authority official.
In its Northern Railway circular dated July 8, the Board announced the daily train schedule between Jind and Sonipat along with the list of intermediate stops. However, it left the decision on the start date of the scheduled service to the Northern Railway.
In earlier communications, the Railway Board said the train will cover 356 km per day, making two round trips between Jind and Sonipat, with each one-way journey taking 89 km. The 10-car train has 682 seats and a total capacity of 2,600 passengers.
Although the train reached a maximum speed of 120 km/h during the tests, its maximum operating speed in regular service will be 75 km/h.
In May 2026, the Railway Board approved the introduction of the country’s first hydrogen-powered 10-car DEMU train, which uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate traction power instead of diesel.
The train will run as a special inaugural service on July 17.
As a safety measure, the Ministry of Railways has ordered that for the first three months of operation, the train will be accompanied by trained technical staff with expertise in hydrogen train sets to deal with any technical issues along the route.
Union Government’s commitment to clean energy
Haryana BJP chief Archana Gupta said the train reflects the Union government’s commitment to clean energy, modern infrastructure and sustainable growth.
“The hydrogen-powered train would usher in a new era of environment-friendly transport and strengthen Haryana’s position in the field of green technology,” Gupta said in a statement.
