Kamal Ghorui
India is stepping up the adoption of battery and alternative fuel-powered train engines as it moves to phase out diesel locomotives on short and medium-distance routes, following the near-complete electrification of its rail network.With just 405 route kilometres (rkm) left to be electrified out of a total 70,117 rkm, officials said the focus of the national transporter has now shifted to reducing reliance on the remaining around 2,500 diesel locomotives. These engines are expected to be retrofitted or replaced with cleaner fuel-powered alternatives.“The first step will be replacing the diesel locomotives used in yard operations, shunting services and last-mile freight connectivity,” a senior official said. These operations continue to depend on diesel traction largely because of non-electrified or intermittently electrified sections.Officials clarified that overhead electric traction will remain the mainstay of railway operations, but battery-powered and alternative fuel solutions are being developed as parallel options for specific operational needs where full electrification may not be practical.Progress on cleaner propulsion systems is already underway. In September last year, Concord Control Systems said that it had successfully retrofitted a 700-horsepower diesel locomotive to run on a lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery. On Friday, the company announced it is developing the world’s largest 3,100-horsepower hydrogen-fuelled locomotive propulsion system, according to ET. The 3,100 HP hydrogen-powered locomotive is being developed for public sector utility NTPC and will be used to haul coal for its power plants, according to officials aware of the project.The Railways have also begun testing hydrogen-powered train technology. Last month, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India is testing the world’s longest hydrogen train set, comprising 10 coaches and the most powerful hydrogen train with a capacity of 2,400 kW on a broad-gauge platform.Pilot projects using on-board battery technologies were initiated around six years ago. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) was tasked with building 10 battery-powered locomotives, while Eastern Railway’s Kanchrapara workshop converted a motor coach into a battery-cum-25 kV shunting engine capable of pulling freight and passenger trains at low speeds in battery mode.At present, Indian Railways continues to rely largely on diesel locomotives for long-haul freight services, while most long-distance passenger trains have shifted to electric traction drawing power from overhead lines.In a significant step towards cleaner freight operations, Germany’s Siemens was awarded a Rs 26,000 crore contract in December 2022 to supply and maintain 1,200 electric freight locomotives. The first batch of these engines was delivered in May 2025.
