India: An eight-car trainset modernised by national operator Indian Railways has begun carrying passengers in the country’s Western region. Prior to this, it covered more than 2,000 km during testing.
The pilot project to equip two power cars of a DEMU with gas-diesel power units was carried out at the Ahmedabad depot. Each car received a cryogenic LNG tank with a capacity of 2,200 litres. In dual-fuel mode, up to 40% of diesel fuel is replaced by liquefied natural gas, which is fed into the cylinders alongside diesel.
LNG-diesel train refurbished by Indian Railways. Source: Western Railway
A full fill of both tanks provides a range of 222 km in dual-fuel mode. When the LNG supply is exhausted, the system automatically switches to diesel-only operation. Indian Railways states that annual fuel savings could reach around INR 2.4 mln ($26,400) per trainset. Operating costs are expected to drop by a similar amount.
Following approval from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation under India’s Ministry of Railways, eight more DEMU power cars are slated for conversion. This will enable another four such trains to enter service.
