UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Greener & More Energy Efficient; First Indigenous Hydrogen Train All Set to Start

Q1. With reference to India's first indigenous hydrogen fuel cell trainset, consider the following statements about its technical specifications: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It has a 10-coach configuration comprising two Driving Power Cars and eight trailer coaches.
  2. Each Driving Power Car is rated at 1200 kW, giving a combined installed power of 2400 kW.
  3. Its maximum operational speed is 75 kmph.
  4. It has a design speed of 130 kmph.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q2. In the context of India's first hydrogen fuel cell trainset, what is a 'Driving Power Car (DPC)'?

  • A. A coach that houses the fuel cells, lithium-iron phosphate batteries and hydrogen storage cylinders and supplies traction power to the train
  • B. A passenger trailer coach carrying no propulsion equipment
  • C. The trackside facility that dispenses compressed hydrogen to refuel the train
  • D. The driver's control cabin from which the train is operated remotely

Q3. India's trainset, described as the world's longest and most powerful hydrogen fuel cell train-set on broad gauge, is set to be operated on which one of the following railway sections?

  • A. Jind–Sonipat section, Northern Railway
  • B. Kalka–Shimla section, Northern Railway
  • C. Neral–Matheran section, Central Railway
  • D. Siliguri–Darjeeling section, Northeast Frontier Railway

Q4. Which one of the following organisations, working in mission mode towards 'Green Railways', invited the bids for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell based train on the Indian Railways network?

  • A. Indian Railways Organisation of Alternative Fuels (IROAF)
  • B. Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
  • C. Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
  • D. RailTel Corporation of India Limited

Q5. Which one of the following components accounts for the largest financial outlay under the National Green Hydrogen Mission?

  • A. Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme
  • B. Pilot projects
  • C. Research and Development
  • D. Other mission components

Q6. With reference to the National Green Hydrogen Mission, consider the following pairs of features and their stated values: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Nodal ministry — Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  2. Green hydrogen production target by 2030 — 5 MMT per annum
  3. Associated renewable energy capacity addition by 2030 — about 125 GW
  4. Total initial mission outlay — ₹80 crore
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. With reference to the 'Hydrogen for Heritage' initiative, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The estimated cost per hydrogen train (about ₹80 crore) is higher than the estimated ground infrastructure cost per route (about ₹70 crore).
  2. The pilot for retrofitting existing DEMU rakes, awarded at ₹111.83 crore, is a figure lower than the ₹80 crore estimated per new hydrogen train.
  3. The initiative envisages running 35 hydrogen trains, while the current pilot involves retrofitting existing rakes rather than building new trains.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. With reference to the 'Hydrogen for Heritage' initiative of Indian Railways, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It targets heritage and hill routes for the deployment of hydrogen trains.
  2. The Kalka–Shimla route is among those being explored for deployment.
  3. The train-set for the pilot was developed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
  4. Its primary aim is to decarbonise the busy, already-electrified trunk corridors of Indian Railways.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4

Q9. India's official definition of 'Green Hydrogen', specifying a well-to-gate emission threshold, was notified by which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • B. Ministry of Power
  • C. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • D. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Q10. With reference to green hydrogen and its production, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's official definition classifies hydrogen as 'green' only if its well-to-gate emission does not exceed 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen.
  2. The Indian definition of green hydrogen covers only the electrolysis-based production route and explicitly excludes the biomass-based route.
  3. The hydrogen for the Jind plant is produced through the electrolysis route, which qualifies as green hydrogen.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3