Talgo completes third Delhi-Mumbai trial

The much-awaited Spanish-made Talgo high-speed train reached the Mumbai Central Terminus from New Delhi on its third and final trial run, an official said on Tuesday.

The train, which left New Delhi on Monday evening, completed the trial run despite delays on account of heavy rains which flooded railway tracks in the Gujarat-Maharashtra border area.

The Talgo, with nine lightweight coaches, is expected to cut down travel time between New Delhi and Mumbai by around four hours, from the existing 16 to 12 hours, though exact schedules are not yet finalised.

The train left New Delhi at 7.55 pm on Monday evening and reached Mumbai Central shortly after 11 am, against the expected arrival time of 8.31 am, travelling at speeds averaging 130 kmph.

As the gleaming train passed by certain stations en route on the Mumbai suburban sector, many commuters were seen excitedly waving, screaming with joy and clicking pix of the zooming Talgo.

Further trials of this train are expected to be undertaken on August 5, 8 and 14 on the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai sector with higher speeds on curves and increasing to 140 kmph and 150 kmph with each trial.

After further trials and clearances from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, the train is expected to be commissioned by Western Railway around March 2017.