Indian Railways has initiated the process of building a hydrogen production and refueling station in Jind, Haryana, to supply the country’s first-ever hydrogen train under the Hydrogen for Heritage initiative.

The pilot project will involve retrofitting the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit rake on the Sonipat-Jind section from a diesel to a hydrogen-powered train.

Under the initiative, Indian Railways plans to operate 35 hydrogen trains, the first of which will operate on the 89-kilometer stretch between Jind and Sonipat, with an expected flag-off date in 2024.

The project is expected to save Indian Railways ₹23 million (~$275,829) per year.

The tender for the project was first issued in October 2021.

Medha Servo Drives, a rail system integrator awarded the work for the pilot project by Indian Railways, has contracted GreenH Electrolysis to provide the engineering, procurement, and construction services for the hydrogen production and refueling station.

The equipment for the project will be supplied from GreenH’s newly constructed Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer manufacturing plant in the Jhajjar district of Haryana.

The station is expected to implement a comprehensive system to produce hydrogen and refuel the trains on a daily basis. The refueling infrastructure will integrate 3,000 kg hydrogen storage, hydrogen compressors, and two hydrogen dispensers with pre-cooler integration, allowing for quick refueling of the trains.

The company will operate round the clock with an expected capacity of 420 kg of hydrogen per day to achieve the project’s first milestone at 1 MW electrolyzer capacity.

GreenH would extend operation and maintenance services for the turnkey project under a long-term service agreement.

Dhiman Roy, CEO and Director of GreenH Electrolysis, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this prestigious Indian Railways project that has the potential to revolutionize our country’s lifeline and decarbonize the transport sector.”

In September 2022, Medha Servo Drives awarded the hydrogen fuel cell module order to Ballard Power Systems to develop two retrofitted diesel-electric commuter trains with eight integrated units of 100 kW FCmoveTM-HD+.