India likely to get its first tilting trains by 2025-26

Efforts on to export Vande Bharat coaches to Europe, South America and East Asia

India will get its first tilting trains by 2025-26 with 100 Vande Bharat trains being manufactured using this technology which enables trains to manoeuvre curves at higher speeds, just as a motorbike on a winding road, a senior official said on Friday.

He said 100 of the 400 Vande Bharat trains to be manufactured by 2025 will have this technology.

"We will have tilting trains in the country. We will tie up with a technology partner for this. We will have this technology in 100 Vande Bharat trains over the next two to three years," the official noted.

Tilting trains have a mechanism enabling higher speed on regular broad-gauge tracks. They tilt while negotiating a bend or curve on the track.

Such trains are now operational in 11 countries — Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russia, the

Czech Republic, the UK, Switzerland, China, Germany and Romania.

Explaining how such trains work, an official said as a train rounds a curve at speed, it causes objects to slide about. While it makes the seated passengers feel squashed by the armrest, standing passengers tend to lose their balance. "The design of the tilting trains counteract this," he said.

Exploring options

The Indian Railways has explored various options in the past regarding such trains, but has never finalised any detail. It also had discussions with Spanish manufacturer Talgo as well as the Switzerland government

Meanwhile, the railways is looking at becoming a major exporter of Vande Bharat trains by 2025-26 to markets in Europe, South America and East Asia, a senior official said on Friday, adding that the latest version of the indigenous trains with sleeper coaches will be operational by the first quarter of 2024.

He also said the railways is planning to clock over 1 million kilometres on 75 Vande Bharat trains over the next few years, for these to be export ready.

Talking about these trains, the official said these have a rider index of three, which means no or minimal jolts for passengers; and noise level of 65 decibel which is 100 times less than the sound produced in aircraft.

He also said that while the present Vande Bharat trains are fit for broad gauge, the railways' manufacturing units will customise the trains to run on standard gauges used by countries across the world.

In fact, the national transporter is constructing a 59 km testing track between Gudha-thathana Mithri in Jodhpur division (about 70 Km from Jaipur) for carrying out tests/trials of various rolling stocks. This track can test trains running at a maximum speed of 220 kmph, maneuvering a variety of curves. The track will be ready by January 2024 and trains which will be exported will be tested here for prospective clients, officials said.

They also said that sleeper Vande Bharat trains will be ready by the first quarter of 2024 and will be manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.

A decision is yet to be taken on whether these trains will replace the existing Rajdhani and Duronto trains on routes like Delhi-mumbai, Delhi-howrah and other major routes or run parallel. — pti

Tilting trains have a mechanism enabling higher speed on regular broad-gauge tracks. They tilt while negotiating a bend or curve on the track.”

Senior railway official