India’s first LNG-powered train was flagged off from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Railway Station on Sunday, marking Indian Railways’ latest move to reduce diesel consumption while expanding safety infrastructure in Gujarat. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the train and announced railway projects involving a combined investment of Rs 1,472 crore.
The train uses two 1,400 horsepower Driving Power Cars at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot that have been converted into diesel-LNG dual-fuel systems. LNG is expected to replace nearly 40 per cent of diesel consumption in the converted equipment, according to details cited during the inauguration.
The initiative is intended to reduce fuel costs and emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Shah said the launch of the 1,200 horsepower twin-capacity engines and the LNG-powered train was an important step towards environmental conservation, passenger convenience and railway safety.
The move comes as Indian Railways continues to reduce its dependence on diesel across the network. Shah said diesel consumption had declined from 293 crore litres in 2015-26 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25. The government aims to bring diesel consumption down to zero by 2030, which Shah said would also help reduce foreign-exchange expenditure.
Electrification has become the main route for reducing diesel use on the railway network. Shah said Indian Railways electrified 75 kilometres in 2010-11, compared with 7,188 kilometres in 2023-24. He said 99.6 per cent of the railway network had been electrified and that the remaining 0.3 per cent would also be completed. He compared the scale of India’s electrification programme with Sweden’s, noting that India’s railway network is far larger.
The Gujarat programme also includes the deployment of the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system across 404 kilometres of the Ahmedabad division. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 411 crore and covers 157 kilometres of the Ahmedabad-Palanpur section and 247 kilometres of the Ahmedabad-Samakhiyali section.
Kavach is designed to help prevent train collisions and protect against overspeeding. The system can automatically intervene when a train exceeds prescribed speed limits or when it detects a collision risk. Its deployment is intended to reduce the possibility of accidents linked to human error and improve the reliability of train operations.
The LNG train and the Kavach rollout represent two separate parts of the railway investment announced in Ahmedabad: one focused on reducing fuel use and emissions, and the other on strengthening operational safety. The next steps will involve implementing the dual-fuel technology and completing Kavach coverage on the identified railway sections.
