From the very first conceptual design drawing, made more than seven decades ago, and up to date, and from the moment of the design approval to vehicle painting, thousands of rail cars produced in Talgo facilities share one basic characteristic: technological uniqueness.

Talgo´s main goal is to provide railway operators worldwide with efficient products that perfectly fit their needs, and to offer competitive prices, as compared to other rolling stock manufacturers.

Therefore, Talgo has developed a technological paradigm based on six fundamental principles.

Principios inglés

#1

Independently rotating and self-guiding wheels

Talgo is the only manufacturer to use a system in which each of the wheels on an axle, both left and right, can rotate at different speeds. This not only improves passenger comfort within the coaches, but it also minimises the wear to infrastructure caused by our trains.

#2

Natural tilting

When renovating existing infrastructure is too costly, railway companies that want to increase the speed of their commercial trains only have one option: operating trains faster on existing tracks.  Talgo's tilting technology can increase speeds by up to 25% through curves without having to carry out additional investments.

#3

Lighter and wider cars

One of the fundamental premises of our designs is to make the lightest trains on the market. The use of aluminium alloys and the reduced length of each car not only allows us to keep up our constant efforts to offer operators minimum energy consumption rates, but it also means we can maximise capacity by manufacturing wider cars.

#4

Low floor at same height

The need for stable running gear forces most passenger train designers to create suspension systems that, out of necessity, elevates the car bodyshell over a metre above the top of the rail. This softens movements while the train is running, but, in turn, the car floor is higher than most train station platforms.

#5

Variable gauge

In the 19th century, when railway tracks were first being constructed, one of the first parameters that had to be defined was the distance between both tracks so that rolling stock could transit from one line to another without encountering obstacles. In most regions of the western world, the British standard measurement of 1435mm was accepted. However, its use wasn't universal and two centuries later these compatibility differences remain a barrier to some railways operating services in different territories.

#6

Entirely articulated trains

For operators, rolling stock maintenance and operation costs are two key factors considered during procurement. The best way to minimise both is to opt for Talgo's entirely articulated trains. The dynamic behaviour of these trains increases reliability and the time between maintenance interventions, thus maximising the use and performance of each train. It also reduces energy consumption and increases safety.