Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train on July 17 and the 10‑coach hydrogen fuel‑cell set now runs scheduled services on the 89‑km Jind–Sonipat section as train numbers 74009/74010.
- The trainset was developed domestically under the Make in India effort and features two driving cars, eight passenger coaches, about 2,600 seats, a roughly 1,200 kW fuel‑cell propulsion system, a 110 kmph design speed and an operational speed up to 75 kmph.
- Northern Railway issued a formal clarification after a viral video claimed stone‑pelting, saying the footage showed an older train hauled by a WAG‑12 locomotive and that the hydrogen service is operating on schedule.
- Wider deployment faces clear barriers: green hydrogen must be produced by electrolysis using cheap renewable power, storage and high‑pressure refuelling infrastructure must be built, and costs must fall to compete with electrification and diesel.
- The project draws on public engineering bodies such as RDSO, BHEL, RITES and IRCON and links to the National Green Hydrogen Mission’s targets for domestic supply and incentives, a push that could lower fuel import exposure and create local jobs if the hydrogen economy scales.