Canada’s Ballard to Power India’s First Hydrogen Trains

The Indian Railways is on the path of reformation through innovation with special onus on the use of renewable energy. In a key development, Canada-based Ballard Power Systems has announced that it has received a fuel cell module order from Medha Servo Drives.

Medha Servo Drives is a rail system that has been contracted by Indian Railways to develop India’s first hydrogen powered trains.

Ballard said that the two retrofitted diesel-electric commuter trains will integrate 8 units of 100 kW FCmoveTM-HD+ which offers improved efficiency and power density than previous module generations. The FCmoveTM-HD+ is latest fuel cell technology from Ballard.

The contract to provide the hydrogen-powered trains was awarded to Medha as a first step in Indian Railways’ path to achieve their net zero ambitions. The fuel cell modules are expected to be shipped in 2023, with trains scheduled to go into service in 2024, with potential for additional retrofits following the initial deployment.

Indian Railways estimate their investment in the hydrogen fuel cell project to have a payback of less than two years as the cost of hydrogen is now less than diesel. These conversions are not only expected to be more economic than their diesel counterpart, but also reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 11 metric tons and eliminate nearly a metric ton particulate matter per year, said Ballard.

“Rail transportation is a critical piece of infrastructure across India and we are proud to be taking the first steps to decarbonize this facet of our economy. With leading technology and strong project economics, we are optimistic about the future of zero emission rail transport,” said Kasyap Reddy, MD, Medha Servo Drives.

David Mucciacciaro, Ballard Chief Commercial Officer, said, “This announcement with Medha exemplifies the growing need and progress being made to decarbonize global mobility. We are excited to grow our fuel cell business in India, and to power the first hydrogen powered, zero emission passenger trains in the Indian market.”

In 2020, India’s then Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal, had said that Indian Railways was working on the deployment of hydrogen powered trains. Recently, world’s first hydrogen train – Coradia iLint – made its first journey in Germany.