Indian Railways has nearly completed electrification, yet it continues to invest in LNG and hydrogen traction. Examine the rationale and the challenges of this multi-fuel strategy.

Indian Railways has electrified 99.6% of its network. The flag-off of India's first LNG-powered train at Sabarmati (Sep 2026) shows it is still investing in other fuels [1]. These fuels are meant to fill the gaps that electrification leaves, not to replace it.

Rationale

• Diesel still in use: Railways used 108 crore litres of diesel in 2024–25, down from 293 crore in 2015–16 [1]. This goes into shunting, branch lines and non-electrified stretches. Cleaner fuels can replace some of it.
• Decarbonisation: The only emission from a hydrogen train is water vapour [3]. This supports the goal of Net-Zero Railways by 2030.
• Routes where overhead wires are hard to build: "Hydrogen for Heritage" plans hydrogen trains on heritage and hill routes, where putting up overhead wires is hard or undesirable [4].
• Cleaner local air: Trials of CNG dual-fuel DEMUs cut NOx by 16% and particulate matter by 18% [5].
• Resilience and indigenous technology: Having more than one fuel is a backup if the power grid fails or on strategic routes. The home-built hydrogen train on Jind–Sonipat also builds Indian technical capacity [2].

Challenges

• Small carbon savings: Gas replaced only up to 20% of diesel and cut CO₂ by just 6% [5]. LNG is still a fossil fuel and largely imported, so it risks locking in fossil-fuel dependence.
• No performance data: The LNG launch did not state the route, fuel savings or emissions [1]. This makes it hard to judge whether the pilot should be scaled up.
• Targets not met: 35 hydrogen trains were promised in 2023 [4], but only one is running [2].
• Refuelling infrastructure: New storage and refuelling depots are needed, like the Jind hydrogen station [3]. Hydrogen made from fossil fuels ("grey" hydrogen) also cuts into the climate benefit.
• Tight finances: The operating ratio is 98.4 (₹98.4 spent to earn ₹100), and 95% of capital spending depends on Union budget support [6]. Coal brings in almost half of freight earnings [7], and that income is at risk as India shifts to clean energy.

Used carefully, LNG and hydrogen can complement electric traction rather than compete with it. Railways should publish trial results before ordering more trains, source green hydrogen under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and deploy these fuels only where electrification is not practical. That way the multi-fuel strategy supports SDG 7 and SDG 13 and the net-zero goal for 2030.