Amit Shah flags off India’s 1st LNG train; targets zero diesel use in Railways by 2030

Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and others, flags off India's first dual-fuel LNG train from Sabarmati Railway Station, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Indian Railways’ push to phase out diesel gained a fresh leg-up on Sunday, with Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah flagging off the country’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati station and setting a 2030 deadline for zero diesel use.

Shah said diesel consumption by the Railways had fallen from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, a reduction of about 63.1 per cent, and said the government aims to bring the figure down to zero by 2030. He said the reduction would also help save foreign exchange. “During 2015-16, Indian Railways used to consume 293 crore litres of diesel. By 2025-26, this reduced to 108 crore litres and by 2030 we will reduce it to zero and save forex. This is a big achievement which is seldom noticed,” Shah said at the launch event.

The LNG train launch marks a further step in the Railways’ efforts to reduce its dependence on conventional diesel and diversify its fuel mix. The LNG system has been introduced in the train’s Driving Power Cars (DPCs), with the engines capable of running on both LNG and diesel. Under the project, two 1,400 HP DPCs have been converted to LNG-diesel dual-fuel systems. More than 2,000 km of field trials have been completed on the converted DPCs to test the technology’s performance and reliability. The system can replace up to around 40 per cent of diesel consumption with LNG, according to Railways.

The dual-fuel configuration allows the engine to switch between LNG and diesel depending on fuel availability, ensuring that train operations can continue even when LNG is unavailable. The Railways expects the LNG system to lower fuel costs and emissions while retaining the power and operating performance of conventional diesel engines. Each DPC has been fitted with an LNG tank of around 2,200 litres capacity.

The move comes alongside a broader electrification drive that has significantly reduced the Railways’ reliance on diesel traction. Shah said 99.6 per cent of India’s broad-gauge railway network has been electrified, with work underway on the remaining network. Shah also sought to place India’s electrification progress in a global context. “In China the electrification is 92 per cent, in Spain it is 68 per cent, France it is 60 per cent, and in a small country like Britain it is 49 per cent. Only Sweden has completed 100 per cent electrification but our railway network is 10 times bigger than that of Sweden,” he said.

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