PM Modi Highlights India’s Railway Transformation From Electrification to Green Hydrogen

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the rapid pace of railway electrification in India, saying 70 per cent of the railway network was electrified in 10 years under his government, compared with 30 per cent over the previous 90 years.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of India’s 80th Independence Day, Modi said railway electrification began in 1925, but only 30 per cent of the network had been electrified over the following nine decades.

“We completed 100 per cent electrification in just one decade. Thirty per cent in 90 years and 70 per cent in 10 years — this is the pace of work,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi said railway electrification has helped reduce dependence on imported diesel while also benefiting the environment as an increasing number of trains are powered by electricity.

The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s progress in green hydrogen technology, noting the country’s entry into the green hydrogen-powered train sector. He said India had developed a long and powerful hydrogen-powered train, marking its presence in the emerging global hydrogen rail sector.

India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train was flagged off by Modi on July 17, 2026. The train operates on an 89-km Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railways in Haryana, marking another step towards the adoption of hydrogen-based technology in the railway sector.