In a New Year’s gift to heritage lovers, the Indian Railways will introduce a green revolution in heritage train sectors such as Kalka-Shimla Railway, Darjeeling hills, Neelgiri Mountain Railways and others. The trains on these heritage sectors will now be pulled by hydrogen fuel propulsion engines in place of traditional coal and diesel locos.
Further, in an effort to go green and simultaneously secure the heritage and promote tourism, the Indian Railways has also started working on bringing back the “steam engines” in a new avatar.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said electric and hydrogen propelled engines will be given appearance of the old steam-spewing “black beauty”.
“The new avtars of the old engines will be equipped with vintage sirens and it will periodically spout “green” steam vapour.
“There are several sectors where such engines can be rolled out to promote tourism and the children of today can relive the past which is so far only confined to museums, text books and photographs. We will get to see these vintage beauty chugging again very soon,” Vaishnav told The Pioneer.
The prototype model of such steam engines are being shaped at The Golden Rocks Workshop, of the railways, in Tamil Nadu. The railways workshop at Ajmer too could also be equipped with such facilities.
Vaishnaw said all the eight heritage train were neglected until Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Railways to work to keep these attractions intact. According to the Minister, the cabins or the coaches of the heritage trains will be retro-fitted with a hydrogen propulsion mechanism. These trains will have vistadome coaches from where the passengers can enjoy the natural landscape of the region.
The other heritage train routes identified are Matheran Hill Railways, Kangra Railway, Bilmora Waghai, Mhow Patalpani and Marwar Devgarh Madriya
“The hydrogen propelled engines will also be used for commercial purposes by year end. That will bring India in the league of select nations like Germany, France, China which are manufacturing hydrogen engines,” Vaishnaw said.