Indian Railways to introduce first Vande Bharat with tilting train technology by 2025

The Indian Railways is working on upgrading the technologies used in its trains. The Vande Bharat trains are prime examples of using modern technologies like Kawach for safety. Following the same upgradation pattern, 100 Vande Bharat trains would be produced with the tilting train technology, which enables trains to navigate curves at higher speeds, much like a motorbike on a winding road, by 2025–2026, as per an official. He said that this technology would be included in 100 of the 400 Vande Bharat trains that will be produced by 2025.

"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.

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Tilting trains have a mechanism enabling higher speeds 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. This new technology can help reduce the force felt by passengers by slightly tilting at sharp curves. 

"The design of the tilting trains counteract this," he said. 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.

With inputs from PTI