Modi Launches Hydrogen Train and Rs 26,800 Crore Infrastructure Projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a series of development projects totaling approximately Rs 26,800 crore across Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh on July 17, 2026. The centerpiece of the visit was the flagging off of the NaMo Green Rail, India's first indigenous hydrogen-powered passenger train, which operates between Jind and Sonipat. The 10-coach train utilizes a 3,200 horsepower propulsion system and is supported by the country's largest railway hydrogen refueling facility in Jind.

In Chandigarh, Modi unveiled healthcare and education initiatives worth over Rs 4,700 crore, including the Advanced Mother and Child Centre and the Advanced Neurosciences Centre at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). In Jalandhar, he launched rail and road projects worth Rs 5,470 crore, including the Amritsar-Varanasi Sant Ravidas Express and a section of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. He also virtually inaugurated 75 redeveloped railway stations across 20 states under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, a project costing Rs 1,570 crore.

The visit served as a political platform ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. During a rally in Jalandhar, Modi criticized the Aam Aadmi Party as a "Kattar Beimaan Party," alleging that law and order in Punjab is in "shambles" and the youth are being pushed into addiction. He also targeted the Indian National Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal for internal instability. The visit faced opposition from the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Punjab Youth Congress, who organized protests and burned effigies.