2 weeks ago
PM Modi highlights railway electrification, green hydrogen train
Trains in India used to run on diesel fuel that India had to buy from other countries.
The Indian government wanted to change that by making train tracks electric.
For 90 years, only 30 out of every 100 train tracks became electric.
In the last 10 years, the remaining 70 tracks became electric too.
Now, almost every train track in India is electric.
Electric trains are cleaner for the environment.
They also help India save money because it needs less imported diesel.
India has also built its very first train that runs on green hydrogen, a very clean fuel.
The prime minister started this special train on July 17, and it runs in Haryana.
PM Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort on India's 80th Independence Day on August 15, 2026.
Modi said railway electrification was completed 100 per cent in one decade, with 70 per cent done in the last 10 years versus 30 per cent in the previous 90 years.
Railway Board data shows 99.6 per cent of the 70,142 broad-gauge route kilometres have been electrified, including 48,072 km added between 2014 and 2026.
Electrification cut Indian Railways' diesel consumption for traction from about 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25.
India's first indigenous green hydrogen train, described as the longest and most powerful, was flagged off by Modi on July 17, 2026, and runs on the 89-km Jind-Sonipat section in Haryana.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- What
- Highlighted India's 100 per cent railway electrification and its entry into green hydrogen train technology during his Independence Day address
- Where
- Red Fort, New Delhi
- When
- August 15, 2026 (80th Independence Day)
- Why
- To highlight the pace of work under his government as well as the fuel-saving and environmental benefits of electrification
Key facts
- Event
- 80th Independence Day address
- Speaker
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Location
- Red Fort, New Delhi
- Railway electrification
- 100 per cent per PM Modi; Railway Board data shows 99.6 per cent of 70,142 broad-gauge route km
- Electrification pace
- 30 per cent in 90 years; 70 per cent in last 10 years
- Diesel consumption for traction
- Declined from about 293 crore litres (2015-16) to 108 crore litres (2024-25)
- Hydrogen train
- Flagged off July 17, 2026; runs on 89-km Jind-Sonipat section, Northern Railway, Haryana; cost Rs. 141 crore on pilot basis
- Rolling stock
- LHB coach production rose from 2,337 (2004-05 to 2013-14) to 49,366 (2014-15 to 2025-26), a 21-fold increase
Quotes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
“"We completed 100 per cent electrification in just one decade. Thirty per cent in 90 years and 70 per cent in 10 years — this is the pace of work," he said.”
theprint.in
theprint.in
“"What is special is that it is the longest and most powerful train, and India has also made its mark in the field of hydrogen trains in the world," he said.”
theprint.in
theprint.in
Sources
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