Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has made it clear that hydrogen will shape the future of the transport industry. Speaking on Thursday, he revealed that trials are currently underway on 10 routes across the country to test hydrogen as a fuel. The announcement comes just days before the country's first hydrogen train is set to begin its journey in Haryana on July 17, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging it off.
The 10 routes where hydrogen fuel is being tested
According to Gadkari, hydrogen fuel trials are currently running on the Greater Noida-Delhi-Agra, Bhubaneswar-Konark-Puri, Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat, Sahibabad-Faridabad-Delhi and Pune-Mumbai routes. Beyond these, the list also includes Jamshedpur-Kalinganagar, Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi, Kochi-Edapally, Jamnagar-Ahmedabad, and the Visakhapatnam-Bayyavaram stretch on National Highway-16. In effect, the tests are being carried out simultaneously in different corners of the country so that hydrogen's performance can be assessed under a wide range of conditions before it is adopted as a mainstream fuel.
Ministry working on a pilot project
Gadkari was addressing the 'Prawas 5.0' and 'Bharat Prawasi Awards' event held in Hyderabad. Speaking at the event, he said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a pilot project across 10 routes for hydrogen trials. He added that he is confident the future of the transport industry lies in hydrogen, and that hydrogen will be the fuel of the future as well, with the ministry working consistently in that direction.
Plans to run buses in Delhi on hydrogen made from garbage
In the national capital Delhi, authorities are also considering running public buses on hydrogen generated from municipal waste. Gadkari had recently said that hydrogen-powered buses could soon be introduced in Delhi. He had remarked that people have asked how this would be achieved, and pointed out that none of his predictions over the past 50 years have failed to come true. He further explained that this waste would be segregated and used to produce hydrogen through bio-digesters, and that buses in Delhi would run on this hydrogen, adding that all of this is entirely achievable.
Hydrogen train to start carrying passengers from July 17
Indian Railways is set to begin commercial operations of the country's first hydrogen train on July 17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the train, which will run between Jind and Sonipat in Haryana. The train is powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, which means it will generate almost zero pollution. Fares on the Jind-Sonipat hydrogen train will start at just Rs 5, with the maximum fare capped at Rs 25.
