Ahmedabad, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday highlighted the transformation of Sabarmati into a modern railway hub while inaugurating and launching railway projects worth more than Rs 1,542 crore in Ahmedabad.
Shah flagged off India’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station and inaugurated the Rs 700-crore WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed, along with other railway infrastructure and safety initiatives.
Recalling his earlier visits to the station, Shah said its facilities and connectivity had changed significantly.
“Today, no one can believe that this is the same station where, in the 1980s, one had to walk two kilometres to get a rickshaw,” he said, referring to Sabarmati’s present connectivity with the Metro, state transport facilities and other railway services.
The WAG-12 maintenance shed has been developed to support the homing and maintenance of high-capacity electric freight locomotives. Shah highlighted the locomotive’s freight-hauling capacity, saying a single WAG-12 could carry freight equivalent to around 600 trucks.
The WAG-12 has a rated capacity of around 12,000 HP and is designed to haul heavy and long freight trains. The Sabarmati facility is planned to maintain up to 300 such locomotives.
Shah also highlighted the launch of the country’s first LNG-powered train as an alternative-fuel initiative. The train uses a diesel-LNG dual-fuel system, with two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars converted to operate on LNG. More than 2,000 km of field trials have been completed on the converted cars.
The dual-fuel system allows the engines to operate on LNG while retaining the ability to run on diesel when required. Indian Railways has said the technology is aimed at reducing diesel consumption, fuel costs and emissions.
Shah also referred to the trial of a long-haul double-stack container train between Mumbai and Vadodara, saying such trains could help increase freight capacity on existing railway infrastructure.
He further highlighted initiatives including dedicated freight corridors, rapid rail systems and modern railway stations as part of changes in the railway network.
Referring to the Sabarmati-Sarkhej doubling project, Shah said the work would help improve direct connectivity from western Ahmedabad towards Mumbai and other destinations.
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