TILTING TRAINS
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Context
- Kerala should explore the possibility of introducing tilting trains in the existing broad gauge rail tracks which will allow Kerala to increase the speed of trains by about 20%-30% - said Paris-based consultancy Systra.
Details
- Tilting trains, have a mechanism enabling higher speed on regular broad-gauge tracks, tilt while negotiating a bend or curve on the track, just as a motorbike on a winding road.
- The first passive tilting car design was built in the US in 1937, and an improved version was built in 1939.
Importance
- As a train rounds a curve at speed it cause objects to slide about.
- While it makes seated passengers feel squashed by the armrest, standing passengers tend to lose their balance.
- The design of the tilting trains counteract this.
- During a curve to the left, the train tilts to the left and vice versa.