Home Minister Amit Shah has launched development projects worth Rs. 1,472 crores and flagged off the first LNG-powered train of the nation from Sabarmati Railway Station of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The train runs on dual fuel systems using diesel and LNG, where there are two Driving Power Cars (1,400 HP each) of the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot fitted for running on both kinds of fuel. This technology allows LNG to substitute about 40 percent of the diesel utilized by conventional trains.
This development reflects India's changing energy strategy in railway transport. As railway electrification increases across India, there is a marked reduction in diesel utilization. Indian Railways used 293 crore liters of diesel during 2015-16, stated Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while it only used 108 crore liters in 2024-25. He also added that almost 99.6 per cent of India's rail network is already electrified.
The minister emphasized the commissioning of the hydrogen-powered train in this initiative, placing hydrogen next to liquefied natural gas and electricity in its alternative fuel technology initiative.
Maintenance Shed for locomotives’ engines worth Rs 700-crore WAG-12, was inaugurated here too. There was also the commissioning of the 12,000 HP Twin WAG-12 Locomotive. According to Shah, such locomotives will pull cargo amounting to almost 600 trucks at once.
The 'Kavach' train protection system was launched on the Sabarmati-Kalol-Sabarmati rail route at an investment of Rs 48 crore. Also, the process has started for implementing the same on Ahmedabad-Palanpur and Ahmedabad-Samakhiali rail routes, along with doubling the Sabarmati-Sarkhej Railway Line.
