ALSTOM congratulates Virgin on a record-breaking run from
Glasgow to London

Virgin Trains set a new speed record for the 401-mile journey
from Glasgow to London in
3 hours and 55 minutes on Friday 22 September. The previous
verified Glasgow-London record stood at four hours and 14
minutes.


The ALSTOM-built Pendolino fleet consists of 53
high-speed, tilting trains which provide daily services
on the West Coast Main Line. The trains were designed and
built by ALSTOM and the fleet is currently travelling over
250,000 miles a month.

The fleet is maintained at the companies four
main Traincare Centres on the West Coast Main Line in Glasgow,
Manchester, Oxley and Wembley. Eric Prescott, ALSTOM Transport UK Managing
Director said:
We are now seeing what can be achieved with a
world-beating train and a West Coast Mainline
upgrade. ALSTOM is pleased and very proud to have supported
Virgin in this record-breaking run which means that passengers
can connect between the centres of Glasgow and London in under
four hours, thats quicker than
flying. Congratulations to Virgin. This is a real milestone
for the UK rail transport system. The availability of the
Pendolino fleet is consistently meeting Virgins service
requirements and reliability is continually improving. ALSTOM
will continue to support Virgin to deliver an exceptional service
to passengers. Virgin Trains has worked very hard with its counterparts at
Network Rail and Alstom to focus on delivering top class
performance. 199 out of 217 trains run every day are now
regularly arriving at their destination on time. Virgin Trains has improved the performance of
its West Coast services with a substantial reduction in delays to
train services following the launch of its Every Second Counts
campaign earlier this year. The campaign included the issue of
atomic watches to key staff.


Alstom West Coast Main line staff made a
considerable "behind the scenes" contribution to Virgin's
record-breaking run from Glasgow to London. Engineering and
fleet planning teams and depot staff all worked hard to prepare
the trainset for its challenging task.



The trainset was renamed Heaven's Angels in honour of the
charity which benefited from proceeds of ticket sales on the
run.



Heaven's Angels are health workers who deliver vital
healthcare by specially adapted motorbikes to African
communities whose roads are too difficult for cars or
ambulances to access. One health worker and a motorbike costing
£5,000 can help save 20,000 lives a year.



All Alstom staff who travelled on the train during its record
run donated their day's pay to the charity.Our thanks goes to each and everyone who
participated

Press information:  Helen ConnollyTel : + 44 (0) 1788 545602helen.connolly@transport.alstom.com  Notes to Editors ALSTOM is a major supplier to the UK rail industry with the
second largest fleet of rolling stock including Eurostar, much of
the London Underground and, in recent years, new trains and cars
for the Jubilee Line on the London Underground, many of the new
regional train fleets and the Pendolino high-speed, tilting train
fleet for Virgin Trains' West Coast Main Line service. ALSTOM Transport employs around 2000 people in
the UK at over 20 different locations. The business has i
nvested significantly to provide a 24/7 service to Virgin
and the travelling public and both companies are discussing
extending the capacity of the Pendolino fleet.