The Spanish high-speed Talgo train clocked less than 12 hours on its last Delhi-Mumbai trial run on Saturday. The time taken by the Talgo to cover the 1,388 kilometer stretch between the two metros is four hours less than the time taken by the Rajdhani train.
"The train left New Delhi at 14:45 hrs on Saturday afternoon and reached Mumbai central at 02:33 hrs that is in 11 hours and 48 minutes. This includes six minutes of irregularities or unusual occurrences. So, the total time taken was actually 11 hours 44 minutes," Vijay Kumar, Executive Director, Infrastructure told the Financial Express.
In July 2015, Talgo had approached the Indian Railways with a proposal to build the fastest train using light weight coaches. In its simulation, the Spanish firm had claimed the total time taken by the train would be 11 hours and 44 minutes.
The last trial was conducted at a maximum speed of 150 kmph. Talgo had earlier said the fact that the trains are lightweight give the trains flexibility of natural tilting, thereby increasing its speed on the Indian tracks, the Financial Express added.
The high speed Talgo trains have been under-going trials since May. According to media reports, the Talgo completed a trial run between Mathura and Palwal at a speed of 180 kmph in July.
Trial runs of Talgo were conducted with empty coaches. In terms of comparison, the Rajdhani runs on the Delhi-Mumbai route at an average speed of 85 kms per hour, while the Talgo covered the same distance at an average speed of 150 kmph.
The Talgo consists of nine coaches, which includes two executive class cars, four chair cars, a pantry car, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and for keeping equipment. It is believed to be faster than Gatiman Express.
