Shah flags off India’s first LNG-powered train in Gujarat
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched railway development projects worth Rs 1,472 crore and flagged off India’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad.
Shah said the new dual-fuel train will help protect the environment, make travel more convenient for passengers, and improve safety. The LNG-powered train is a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit with two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars, converted at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot to run on both diesel and LNG.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is stored in cryogenic tanks of about 2,200 litres each and can replace almost 40 per cent of diesel use. The engines can switch between diesel and LNG as needed. Field trials have already covered over 2,000 km. Officials estimate yearly fuel savings of about Rs 11.9 lakh per power car and nearly Rs 23.9 lakh for an eight-coach train, along with lower emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.
Shah said the launch is part of Indian Railways’ push to reduce diesel use. He pointed out that diesel consumption dropped from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, with the goal of reaching zero by 2030. The network is now 99.6 per cent electrified, up from about 30 per cent before 2014. At the same event, Shah also opened a new WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed in the Ahmedabad Division, built for Rs 700 crore.
The new facility can service up to 300 high-power WAG-12 electric locomotives, each with 12,000 HP in a twin-section setup. These engines can haul as much freight as about 600 trucks, so one engine can now do the work that used to need two. The event also included the launch of a WAG-12 locomotive.
Shah also laid the foundation stones for the Indian-made Kavach automatic train-protection system on 404 km of track: 157 km on the Ahmedabad-Palanpur section and 247 km on the Ahmedabad-Samakhiyali section, for Rs 411 crore. Kavach is already in use on the Sabarmati-Kalol section for Rs 48 crore to maintain safe distances between trains and increase route capacity. Shah also dedicated Automatic Block Signalling on the Sabarmati-Kalol-Bhandu Motidau and Sabarmati-Sanand-Jakhwada sections and laid the foundation stone for doubling the 21-km Sabarmati-Sarkhej line, a project costing Rs 313.27 crore and targeted for completion by March 2028. The doubling is expected to ease congestion and improve connectivity towards the Sarkhej-Dholera industrial corridor.
At the ceremony, Shah remembered travelling through Sabarmati station in the past and said the area has changed completely. He praised Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the local railway team for better passenger facilities, safety, and connections to Metro, bus services, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail station.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and senior railway officials were also at the event. Shah said the projects are a joint effort for cleaner operations, more freight capacity, and safer travel in the region.
The LNG train’s first commercial run was set for the Sabarmati to Mahesana route, with its regular route to be decided later. The projects launched on Sunday are part of a larger effort to modernise the railways, increase investment in Gujarat, and reduce the environmental impact of one of the world’s biggest rail networks while expanding its capacity.
