The Talgo train is a unique tilting train. It allows for high-speed travel on tight curves without compromising on comfort. The Talgo concept started in the 1940s in Spain, and Talgo now manufactures train sets all over the world. What makes Talgo trains special is their unique design. The carriages are connected with a central pivot instead of traditional couplings. This allows the train to tilt into curves up to 8 degrees. The tilting technology allows Talgo trains to reach higher speeds than normal trains.

In this article, we will learn about the various aspects of the Talgo train, including its design, manufacturing, benefits, and the latest updates on the topic.

Talgo train is an important topic for Science and Tech and current affairs for the UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 3 of the UPSC IAS Mains exam.

What is Talgo Train?

Talgo is a lightweight, high-speed, made-in-Spain train. This next-generation train (the variant tested in India) can run at an average speed of more than 90 to 100 km per hour with a maximum speed of around 130 to 150 km per hour. Interestingly this train can be used on the presently used railway tracks in India. The Talgo train can be a game changer for the Indian Railway.

Here is an overview table for the Talgo train:

List of Talgo Trains

Talgo, over the years, has manufactured various advanced generations of trains which are as follows:

Read an article on the Evolution of Indian Railways here.

Corporate History

Alejandro Goicoechea and José Luis Oriol contributed significantly to Talgo's development. Goicoechea, a pioneering railway engineer, worked to create a new generation of rolling stock in the 1930s that would be primarily made of metal rather than wood, emphasise lightweight but sturdy construction to reduce operational costs, and have a low centre of gravity to prevent derailing and thus allow for higher operating speeds.

Talgo realised in the late 1940s that Spain and the rest of Europe struggled economically after the Second World War and were unlikely to be willing buyers of new rolling stock from an unproven manufacturer.

Talgo attempted to meet the need for faster trains in Spain throughout the 1970s. Still, due to the country's mountainous geography, slightly curved rails predominated, limiting line speeds due to centrifugal forces acting on the trains. 

The company concentrated most of its efforts on producing coaching stock during the 1970s and 1980s instead of locomotives. In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of interest in locomotive development, which included the automatic variable gauge system. 

The Talgo XXI helped the business pioneer many technologies, including new high-speed running gear and hybrid propulsion technology. Talgo has increased its efforts to grow its presence abroad in recent years.

Talgo established plans to open a new train manufacturing facility in the UK in the late 2010s in response to many British railway operators placing orders for its trains. Early in the 2020s, the corporation invested in new production facilities in India to secure large orders from the country's heavily trafficked railways.

Read an article on the History of Railways (British India) here.

Talgo Train: Design and Manufacturing

Talgo, or ‘Patentes Talgo,’ is a Spanish train manufacturer established in 1942.

• The most striking feature of Talgo trains is their unconventional articulated passenger cars for railways.
  • The Talgo group has patented the special bogies known as ‘Jacob’s bogies,’ which carry these articulated passenger cars.
• The Wheels of the Talgo train are mounted in pairs but are not joined with each other by an axle.
• The bogies are placed in such a way that they are not placed under a single coach but are rather shared between two coaches.
• Train coaches are not directly mounted on the wheel bogies, and therefore train coaches do not experience much track noise.
• Talgo trains also come fitted with variable gauge axles, which can easily change rail gauges with different breadths.
• Another special feature is the ‘Talgo Pendulum,’ introduced in 1980. This allows the train to tilt comfortably on curves at high speeds. (Trains having the Talgo Pendulum feature are called Talgo Pendular trains.)
• This tilting feature provides the advantage that the Talgo train can run at a 25% increased speed at curves without requiring any other technological investment.
• Talgo Train has 9 coaches, which includes 2 executive class coaches, 4 general coaches, a power car, a cafeteria, and A tail end coach.
  • The executive coach is a 20-seater premium coach with ample leg space, spacious seats, and luggage space.
  • The general coach is a 36-seater coach with ample boot space and comfortable seats.

Read an article on the New Metro Rail Policy here.

Benefits Of Talgo Train in India

• The lightweight and fast-paced Talgo train will not only reduce traveling time but will also consume much less energy to operate.
• The unconventional and innovative design of the Talgo train allows it to run on curves without reducing the speed.
• It is estimated that Talgo trains will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai, which is currently 17 to 18 hours, to around 12 hours.
• Talgo trains can replace the presently operating Rajdhani Express trains, which have a much lower average speed of 85 km per hour compared to the average speed of the Talgo train, which is more than 110 km per hour.
• The signing of a pact between Bharat Forge and Talgo India to manufacture trains in India will benefit the “Make in India” initiative and generate employment.

Also, read the article on Nanotechnology here!

Talgo Train in India

The first Talgo train trial in India was conducted on 29th May 2016 on the Bareilly-Moradabad route in Uttar Pradesh. The final phase trial run of the train was completed on the Delhi-Mumbai route in 2016, on which the train attained a speed of 130 km/h.

The trial run of Talgo Trains was successfully conducted in three phases on three routes:

• First phase: Bareilly-Moradabadone route
• Second phase: Mathura-Palwal route
• Third phase: Mumbai-Delhi route

Latest Update on Talgo Train

• In 2022 Bharat Forge Infrastructure Limited (a fully owned subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited) and Talgo India Private Limited (a subsidiary of Patents Talgo) established a joint venture to manufacture high-speed passenger trains in India.
• This joint venture between the two companies was formed after a tender for the production and maintenance of 100 new-generation trains was issued by the Indian Railways to meet the future requirements of the Railway sector in India.

Read an article on the New Metro Rail Policy here.

Conclusion

Today there is an urgent need to upgrade the outdated and aged trendy technology and coaches of the Indian Railways. The recently formed joint venture between Bharat Forge Infrastructure Limited and Talgo India Private Limited can prove to be a game changer for the railway sector in India as it will pave the way for the import of cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, high-speed train technology to India and will also provide much-needed employment opportunities in the country.

We hope that this article has cleared all your doubts regarding Talgo Trains. At 

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