India is building hydrogen-powered trains, and according to Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, they will be ready in 2023.
Speaking at SOA University in Bhubaneswar, Minister added that work on the Gati Shakti terminals policy is moving quickly and that Indian Railways is attempting to connect the country’s distant and underserved areas with the railway network. Vandebharat Express, a semi-high-speed train that is among the fastest, was developed domestically in India using in-house technology. According to minister, the Vandebharat express trains are being produced at ICF and will soon be put into service. The train has been operating without a major breakdown for the past two years.
Recently, the Railway Safety Commissioner gave the go-ahead for Vande Bharat.
When discussing train and track management before, the minister had noted, “Making trains is not our main priority. In order to operate semi-high- or high-speed trains, we are also making significant progress on a track management system. In a Vande Bharat test run, we’ve already demonstrated that a fully laden water glass didn’t shake at 180 kph, but it did shake the entire planet.”
Vaishnaw further stated that following the successful conclusion of Vande Bharat’s trial run, the serial construction of the remaining 72 trains will soon begin.
He further added “It is noteworthy that the third Vande Bharat train can travel at a top speed of 180 km/h. It took 52 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour as opposed to the bullet train’s 55 seconds. Vande Bharat trains of the first generation have a top speed of 160 kmph and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 54.6 seconds.”
There are currently two trains running between New Delhi and Vaishnodevi Katra and between New Delhi and Varanasi.
