A senior rail Ministry official said Indian Railways will begin using CNG in train operations to optimize the substitution of diesel. The project will encompass 50 diesel multiple units (DMUs), and will be converted into dual fuel engines with the capability of running on CNG.
"This means 50 converted DMUs will be running on diesel as well as CNG in the first phase," said the official.
Indian Railways Organisation for Alternative Fuel, which is coordinating the project, has invited tenders for conversion of DMUs to dual fuel engines with CNG capability. However, CNG is not available everywhere, so the dual fuel engine will only be used on certain routes.
This technology has already been implemented in South Africa.