Talgo men likely to meet PM in Spain

Keen to do business with Indian Railways, senior representatives of Talgo, the Spanish lightweight train coach maker, are likley to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Spain visit on May 30.

In a three-phased trial conducted last year, Talgo trains clocked a top speed of 180 kmph on the Mathura-Palwal route and covered the Delhi-Mumbai distance in 11 hours 48 minutes.

The meeting with PM seems to be crucial for Talgo as the Spanish company is keen to join Indian rail sector, sources in the government said.

Modi is embarking on on a six-day tour to Russia, Germany, Spain and France from May 29. The PM will leave Germany for Spain late on May 30. He will meet President of Spain Mariano Rajoy and discuss bilateral and other issues of mutual interest.

As part of the programme, Prime Minister will be calling on King Felipe VI of Spain. He will also have a round-table interaction with leading Spanish business leaders keen to invest in India.

Indian Railways is exploring possibilities on a lease agreement to operate the light-weight, energy efficient Spanish Talgo trains to reduce travel time between metros.

Talgo coaches can negotiate curves and climb hills at a much faster speed compared to conventional Indian trains.

Indian Railways had conducted the first trial run of Talgo trains on the Bareilly-Moradabad stretch following which, the second trial run was conducted on the Palwal- Mathura section.

The Spanish Talgo train completed its final trial in September 11 last year between Delhi and Mumbai in less than 12-hours at a maximum speed of 150 km per hour speed, making its case for induction in Indian Railways' future ventures. Modi will be the first prime minister to visit Madrid in 30 years after Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.