Amit Shah inaugurates India's first LNG-powered train in Ahmedabad

Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off India's first LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)-powered train from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Railway Station on Sunday.

Speaking at the flagging off ceremony, he said, "These initiatives address environmental concerns, enhance passenger convenience, and bolster safety."

The governmemt has converted two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars at Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot into diesel-LNG dual fuel systems, with LNG replacing nearly 40 per cent of diesel consumption. The LNG initiative is expected to reduce fuel costs and lower emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

He inaugurated and laid foundation stones of multiple projects, involving a total investment of Rs 1,472 crore.

The launch of 1,200 horsepower twin-capacity engines and the country's first train running on LNG took place, which is an important step towards environmental conservation, Shah said.

Elaborating the significance of India's first LNG-powered train, the home minister noted that Indian Railways consumed 293 crore liters of diesel in 2015-26, which has now dropped to 108 crore in 2024-25, and by 2030, the government aims to bring it down to zero, thereby saving India's forex currency

"Electrification covered just 75 kilometers in 2010-11, whereas in 2023-24, we electrified 7,188 kilometers in a single year... 99.6% of the railway network is already electrified. We will complete the remaining 0.3% as well... Only Sweden has achieved 100% electrification globally, but there is a tenfold difference between the scale of Sweden's rail network and ours," he said.

Kavach to cover 404 km of Ahmedabad division

As part of the latest railway infrastructure push, the Ahmedabad division will also be equipped with the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system across 404 km of railway network at an estimated cost of around Rs 411 crore.

The project covers 157 km of the Ahmedabad-Palanpur section and 247 km of the Ahmedabad-Samakhiyali section. The system is designed to enhance railway safety by helping prevent train collisions and providing protection against overspeeding.

Kavach can automatically intervene when a train exceeds prescribed speed limits or when a collision risk is detected, reducing the possibility of accidents arising from human error. The system is also expected to improve the reliability of train operations through the use of indigenous technology.