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India's first LNG-powered train was flagged off from Sabarmati on Sunday by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The launch introduces Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as an alternative fuel for railway operations and aims to reduce the Railways' dependence on conventional diesel.
India's First LNG-powered Train Launched
The train uses a diesel-plus-LNG dual-fuel system developed for its Driving Power Cars (DPCs). Two 1,400 HP DPCs at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot have been converted to operate using both fuels. More than 2,000 km of field trials have been completed to test the system's performance and reliability. LNG can replace up to around 40% of diesel consumption. The Railways expects the technology to lower fuel costs and emissions such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Earlier railway estimates put the annual saving at around Rs 11.9 lakh for one DPC and around Rs 23.9 lakh for an eight-coach rake. The dual-fuel system allows the engine to switch between LNG and diesel based on fuel availability, while maintaining the power and operating capability of a conventional diesel engine.
Each converted DPC has an LNG tank with a capacity of around 2,200 litres, holding approximately 850-900 kg of usable LNG. A full tank is expected to support around 1,600 km of operation, reducing the need for frequent refuelling.
The launch was part of a larger package of railway projects worth more than Rs 1,542 crore covering safety, signalling, line capacity and freight infrastructure. Shah also inaugurated the Rs 700-crore WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed at Sabarmati and flagged off a WAG-12 electric locomotive.
The programme also included the commissioning of the indigenous Kavach train protection system on the Ahmedabad-Palanpur and Ahmedabad-Samakhiyali sections, automatic signalling on two railway sections and the start of doubling work on the Sabarmati-Sarkhej section.