The Anonymous Widower

Hydrogen-Powered Toy Train Planned For Kalka-Shimla Seritage Route

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the New Indian Express.

This is the sub-heading.

The Railways has since completed a survey of the route and identified a site at Barog railway station for setting up a hydrogen fuel plant

These paragraphs gives a few more details.

The Ministry of Railways is planning to introduce a hydrogen-powered toy train on the Kalka-Shimla railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage route, to reduce pollution and promote cleaner transport.

The initiative is part of the Centre’s ‘Hydrogen for Heritage’ programme, which aims to introduce hydrogen-powered trains on selected heritage routes. Unlike conventional diesel trains, hydrogen trains use fuel-cell technology to generate electricity, with water as the principal by-product.

In 2023, the Union Government announced plans to operate 35 hydrogen trains under the programme, including one on the Kalka-Shimla route. The following year, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu wrote to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging the Centre to explore the possibility of introducing hydrogen-powered trains on the historic route.

The Railways has since completed a survey of the route and identified a site at Barog railway station for setting up a hydrogen fuel plant.

Note.

It is using hydrogen fuel cell technology.

India is getting very serious about hydrogen-powered trains.

This railway could become a very important tourism site.

Shimla has an altitude of 2,276 metres.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the route of the Kalka-Shimla Railway.

Note.

  1. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is shown in yellow.
  2. Shimla is in the North-East corner of the map.
  3. Kalka is in the South-West corner of the map.
  4. Barog station is marked by the blue arrow.
  5. The Kalka-ShimlaRailway has a Wikipedia entry.

If I ever get back to India, I shall certainly visit.

November 6, 2026 Posted by | Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment