Cargo Ship from Barcelona carrying Talgo Coaches arrives

at Mumbai
9 May, 2016 in High Speed Rail & Bullet Trains / Indian Railways / Rail Enterprise, Industry and OEMs by rail

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, allnew 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 Talgos 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, Talgos 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.