Bhubaneswar, January 11 (IANS). Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the hydrogen fueled train engine developed by Indian Railways is the most powerful engine manufactured by any country.
The Railway Minister made the remarks in a panel discussion during the Plenary Session on “Green Ties: Contribution of Overseas Indians to Sustainable Development” organized on the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the hydrogen fueled train engine developed by Indian Railways has the maximum horse power output compared to any engine developed by any country in the world.
He further said that such achievement using indigenous technology propels India to become a leader among major economies in using green energy for development.
Union Minister Vaishnav said, “Only four countries in the world have hydrogen-powered trains, and they produce energy capacity between 500 to 600 horse power.
The engine we manufacture has a capacity of 1,200 horse power, which is the highest ever in this category.”
He told the gathering during the discussion that the first such train is expected to do its trial run on the Jind-Sonipat route in Haryana soon. Engine manufacturing has been completed, but system integration is currently underway.
The Union Minister also said that the hydrogen-powered railway engine manufactured in India has been developed using indigenous talent.
He added, “When we can build hydrogen-powered train engines on such a large scale, consider the potential for this technology to be adapted to build power trains for trucks, tugboats and more.
He said that although such technological advancements give us confidence, India still has a long way to go in terms of achieving technological self-reliance and parts of the value chain need to be built.
–IANS
SKT/GKT
