Indian Railways set to hold trial run for aluminium body train

After the launch of Gatiman Express, the country's fastest train, Indian Railways is now going to hold trials for a faster train on the Palwal-Mathura route in May. Manufactured by Spanish locomotive-maker Talgo, the train made of aluminium is lighter and faster than Gatiman and can run at speeds of up to 220 kmph.

Anil Saxena, additional director general and public relations officer of Railway Board said, "After Gatiman's successful launch, Railways is expected to conduct a guided trial run between Palwal and Mathura, a distance of 83.8 km, in May. If the trials are successful, then these trains will be operated between New Delhi and Mumbai, cutting the travel time from 17 hours by Rajdhani at present to around 12 hours."

"Since the current track on New Delhi-Agra route is capable of handling speeds of around 160 kmph, the Talgo train will also be initially tested at the same speed, though it is expected that for commercial operations Railways might run it on an average speed of 120-125 kmph. At present, Rajdhani trains run at 90-100 kmph between New Delhi and Mumbai," Saxena said.

"Nine coaches for the train are on their way to India from Spain by cargo ship and are expected to reach by April 23. We will then move them inland to Mathura."

Showing interest in PM Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, the Spanish train maker had offered to test run its lighter and faster trains free of cost on the existing Indian Railways network. Besides reducing travel time, Talgo's lighter aluminium-made trains consume 30 per cent less energy, which will help Railways reduce their power bill, officials said.