In a giant leap towards sustainable eco-friendly transportation the Indian Railways has successfully completed the trial run of the countrys first hydrogen train which runs on hydrogen fuel cell technology making it highly beneficial to the environment. The trial run took place at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai which has also developed indigenously developed the technology according to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The minister said that with completion of the test run India has joined the select list of countries like Sweden Germany China and France which have developed hydrogen fuel technology adding that the country is now working to a build a 12oo horsepower (hp) hydrogen train. Which route will hydrogen train run on? According to details during the trial run the hydrogen-powered train traveled a distance of 89 km on the Jind-Sonipat rail section of Haryana and it is believed that the eight-coach non-AC hydrogen train will commercially run on this Northern Railway route before the end of this year. The trains will have hydrogen-powered cars on both ends and ICF is preparing to deliver the first hydrogen locomotive by August 31 2025. The train will run at an average speed of 110 km/h. How much will hydrogen train cost? In 2023 Vaishnaw had informed the Rajya Sabha that Railways Ministry plans to operate 35 hydrogen trains on heritage and hilly routes under the Hydrogen for Heritage initiative at a cost of around Rs 80 crore per train while Rs 70 crore will be spent on preparing ground infrastructure in plain and hilly areas. The ministry has set aside a budget of Rs 2800 crore for the project the minister had said. The current pilot project has a total cost of Rs 111.83 crore. Why hydrogen trains are the future? Hydrogen trains are extremely energy efficient and environment friendly when compared to conventional diesel and electric locomotives. Unlike traditional train sets a hydrogen-powered train does not emit harmful gases like carbon dioxide as it uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to generate electricity which powers the train. The only byproducts of this chemical process are water and steam which are completely harmless to the environment.