Cargo Ship from Barcelona carrying Talgo Coaches arrives at Mumbai

Cargo Ship from Barcelona carrying Talgo Coaches arrives at Mumbai 

Indian Railways imports high-speed and modern Talgo coaches from Spain. Talgo train trials at 200 kmph likely in June. Delhi to Mumbai journey in just 12 hours with high-speed Talgo train

Mumbai: Lightweight, comfortable, loaded with modern amenities, and compatible with high-speed rail travel, all-new Talgo coaches have arrived in India at Mumbai. Manufactured by Spanish locomotive maker Talgo, these will be put through trial runs across two routes in India.

These coaches will be transported to Izzatnagar Depot after getting customs clearances,” a senior Railway Ministry official said.

The Spanish train-maker has offered to test run its lighter and faster trains free of cost on the existing Indian Railways network.  “The first Talgo train trial will be conducted between Bareilly and Moradabad rail route at a maximum speed of 115 kmph for oscillation test. This will be followed by another trial between Palwal and Mathura route at a maximum speed of 180 kmph,” the official said. The third one will be carried out between Mumbai-Delhi corridor, the same route which is used by Rajdhani Express and another non-Rajdhani Express. While the Delhi-Mumbai route is confirmed, the other route has yet to be decided.

The Spanish coach manufacturer, Talgo has agreed to conduct these trials free of cost and it will depend on results whether the Railway Ministry will plan on introducing these trains in the country. In the meantime, a permission letter has been issued to Talgo to import these coaches to India. They will come in as completely knocked down kits and will be assembled locally, following which trials will be conducted.

On the current infrastructure present in India, the Talgo high-speed coaches will have the capacity to travel at speeds of 160-200 kmph. They are compatible to upgrades, which will see even faster speeds.

At such high speeds, the travel distance between Delhi and Mumbai will be reduced from a current 17 hours to 12 hours. Besides bringing down travel time, Talgo coaches, being lightweight, also requires up to 30% less energy which will ensure massive savings on power bills for Indian Railways. These Talgo high-speed trains are currently in operation in many places in both Asia and the US.

Known for its high speed and light trains, Spanish train maker Talgo’s nine state-of-the-art train coaches have already reached Mumbai and will undergo crucial test run by the Railways next month.

Dispatched in a cargo ship from Barcelona on March 27, they will be put on trial on the existing tracks for validation test.

Depending upon the results of the trial, the railways will consider introduction of high speed trains.  Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that the aim of the trial run with Talgo coaches is to reduce by 5 hours the time taken on the Delhi-Mumbai route. Talgo has brought its trains on an experimental basis for the project. If the Talgo train runs at speeds varying between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing infrastructure without any upgrade, the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai is expected to be cut down to about 12 hours from the current 17 hours. Besides reducing travel time, Talgo’s lighter trains consume 30% less energy which will help railways reduce their power bill. Talgo claims that the coaches can run on higher speeds even on curves.