After high-speed bullet trains, India plans to introduce tilting trains by 2025-26. 100 trains are currently being manufactured under the Vande Bharat brand. According to a senior official, the technology will allow trains to travel at higher speeds around curves, much like a motorcycle on a winding road.
The official stated, 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 said.
Tilting trains
Tilting trains have a mechanism that allows them to travel faster 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 United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, Germany, and Romania.
The Indian Railways has previously investigated various options for such trains but has never finalised any details. It also held talks with the Spanish manufacturer Talgo and the Swiss government.
Explaining how such trains work, the 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.”
