Talgo train to undergo trial on different routes in India

Manthank Mehta| TNN | Aug 17, 2016,

Mumbai: Talgo train, which has so far carried out four trials between Mumbai-Delhi route at maximum speed of 140 kmph, may also undergo trial on other routes in the country, including the Konkan Railway route between Mumbai and Goa.

Source said that the ministry had asked whether Talgo will be willing to carry out trials on other sectors, to which Talgo has shown its willingness but a final call is yet to be taken.

An official from Talgo said, "We have no objections for the trials as our technology is fit to run in any condition and terrain on Indian Railways."

An official said that Talgo could negotiate curves and climb any hills at much faster speed compared to conventional Indian trains.

In 2014, Railways has decided to introduce semi high-speed trains in nine sectors which would run at speeds of up to 160 kmph.

The identified routes were Goa-Mumbai, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Chandigarh, Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Kanpur, Nagpur-Bilaspur, Mysore-Bengaluru-Chennai, Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Chennai-Hyderabad and Nagpur-Secunderabad.

The Talgo coaches have the natural tilting while travelling on curves, this feature enables them to achieve approximately 20% higher speed in comparison to the conventional coaches.

The full-fledged use of Talgo coaches across the network could begin two-three years later, once local production commences after considering modifications suggested by the railways to make them operational for Indian platforms.

Latest CommentA perfect trail must be conducted to ensure the guarantee of performance before decision of inducting Talgo coaches in Indian railwaysSantosh Prasad

"The trials were successful as it is expected to reduce travel time by three to four hours between New Delhi and Mumbai over the existing Rajdhani Express without making any changes on the existing track or signalling system.

"The Spanish coaches will be pressed into service across the network only after a few modifications as it has less width and low foot-board height," he said.