It will be soon possible to travel between Delhi and Mumbai in less than 12 hours via train. The Spanish hi-speed Talgo train aims to become the fastest train in India covering the 1,388 km distance between Delhi and Mumbai in less than 12 hours.
In July 2015, Talgo had approached the Indian Railways with a proposal to build the fastest train using light weight coaches. On Wednesday, Talgo completed a trial run between Mathura and Palwal at a speed of 180 kmph, the Financial Express reported.
At present, the Talgo hi-speed train is being tested using an Indian engine to check its compatibility on Indian tracks. However, The Indian Railway's Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) will reportedly carry out several more rounds of tests, until July 26, before it gets the green signal to run on Indian tracks.
Trial runs of Talgo were conducted with empty coaches. On being asked about the success of the trial runs, DK Singh, an Additional Divisional Railway Manager 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 Indian Express reported.
In terms of comparison, the Rajdhani runs on the Delhi-Mumbai route at an average speed of 85 kms per hour, while the Talgo covers the same distance at an average speed of 125 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, IE reported.
