Talgo breaks Gatiman record, covers Mathura-Palwal stretch in 39 mins @180kmph
At 180kmph, Talgo breaks Gatiman record, covers Mathura-Palwal stretch in 39 mins
The Indian Railways’ Research Designs & Standards Organisation(RDSO) will conduct several more rounds of tests till July 26, before finalising its use and suitability on Indian tracks.
The Spanish high-speed Talgo train Wednesday broke the speed record of the country’s fastest train, the recently launched Gatiman Express, by clocking 180 km per hour during its third trial run on Mathura-Palwal stretch. It covered the 80-km stretch in 39 minutes.
The Indian Railways started the trials of the Talgo train on July 9. On its second run on July 12, it had hit 170 kmph.
The Indian Railways’ Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) will conduct several more rounds of tests till July 26, before finalising its use and suitability on Indian tracks.
Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Agra, D K Singh told The Indian Express that the trial runs of Talgo were conducted with empty coaches. “We will now conduct the trial at the speed of 180 kmph with coaches filled to capacity. These trials will continue till July 2,” added Singh. He added that the final trial would be conducted on the Mumbai-Delhi route.
Asked about the trial results, Singh said, “Prima facie, it seems to be okay. But, the actual results will be known only after examination of various data being recorded during the trial journey.”
The railway official further said that after the successful launch of semi-high speed (160 kmph) Gatiman Express on Delhi-Agra route in April, the Talgo trial is being conducted as part of Railways strategy to increase the speed of trains.
Talgo consists of nine coaches — two Executive Class cars, four Chair Cars, a pantry car, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment, which is almost equivalent to Rajdhani and Shatabdi. Hauled by a 4,500-HP diesel engine, Talgo coaches are lightweight and designed to run on curves without decelerating the speed. They also consume 30 per cent less energy than regular Indian Railways trains.
Currently, Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express runs at an average speed of 85 km per hour while the Talgo train can maintain an average speed of 125 kmph.
Talgo envisages that the journey between Delhi and Mumbai can be completed in about 12 hours compared to 17 hours at present.
Source:Indian Express
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