The Virgin Pendolino constructed by Alstom passes the one million miles mark in the UK

virgin pendolino.jpg

The Pendolino high speed
tilting train built by Alstom and operated by Virgin Trains passed the symbolic
mark of one million miles covered in commercial service during a trip between London and Glasgow, in the United Kingdom,
on 8 January. Since the Virgin Pendolino entered into service in 2003, on the
West Coast Main Line (WCML), one of the main railway arteries in the United Kingdom,
the number of passengers has increased by 40%.

The 52 trains in the Virgin fleet were built and are maintained by
Alstom since 2003. They are tilting trains, taken from Alstom’s “Pendolino”
range, that operate at a speed of 200km/h and each have a capacity of 439
passengers. The Virgin Pendolinos are equipped with Tiltronix technology, a
tilting system that enables passenger comfort to be guaranteed at high speed on
winding lines, in complete safety. The regenerative braking system allows
Virgin’s Pendolinos to reduce their electricity consumption by 17%, compared to
a conventional braking system. The fleet is also equipped with the “e-train”
maintenance system, which anticipates maintenance interventions thanks to a
transmission of datas by GPRS, and thus improves train availability.

Since
it was launched, in 1998, the Alstom Pendolino has proven itself a genuine
success story, with over 200 million kilometres covered in commercial service
in the world. The trains now operate in several countries: the United
Kingdom, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia,
Portugal, Spain and Finland. Russia will add its name to this list starting
from 2010, with the opening of the high speed line between Saint Petersburg and
Helsinki.

About Alstom Transport 

A
promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom Transport develops and markets the
most complete range of systems, equipment and services in the railway market.
Alstom Transport’s strength lies in its ability to manage entire transport
systems, taking in the rolling stock, signalling and infrastructure, and to
offer “turnkey” solutions. The company’s sales over the 2006/07 financial year
took it to first place in the world railway transport market.

Contact for more information in Finland:

Communications Manager Sari Luhanka 

ALSTOM Finland Oy

Phone: +358 50 3860 353