| Pendolino: The Train now Tilting |
|
by Tony Collins, Virgin Rail 29th April 2004 saw Virgin Trains launch its first tilting train into passenger service, the key stage in the 20 week countdown to full tilt service running from September. Sir Richard Branson joined reporters and regular travellers on the history-making run by boarding the 0935 Reading to Manchester Virgin Trains CrossCountry service, which was able to take advantage of its tilt system between Oxford and Banbury. Commenting on that achievement Sir Richard Branson said, “This is a landmark day for the rail industry. Within a few months two fleets of tilting trains will be bringing faster and more comfortable journeys on one of Britain’s busiest main line arteries. Virgin Trains is delighted to be bringing some of the UK’s biggest population centres closer together and thereby improving people’s quality of life.” Clearance of the Oxford to Banbury route for tilt running had been a vital component in ensuring that the CrossCountry fleet can take full advantage of higher speeds on the West Coast Main Line as various sections are progressively upgraded. The train, a Class 221 Super Voyager diesel, capable of a top speed of 125mph, one of only two types of train in the UK authorised to tilt, the other being the Pendolino electric train which operates on the West Coast Main Line. A rigorous safety certification process had been successfully completed which included a new Tilt and Speed Supervision safety system for controlling both tilt and speed. Five months later, on 20th September, the Prime Minister launched the UK’s first-ever 125mph tilting train timetable at London’s Euston station. The new timetable means a faster and more frequent train services on Virgin’s routes to and from London. Tony Blair said: “This is a great day for railways in Britain. Passengers on the West Coast route will benefit from the first phase of the investment.”
The new timetable should shrink the distance between London and the regions on the West Coast route. Journey times will be cut by over 20% and train frequencies will double between London and Manchester. From 27th September the tilting Pendolino trains were exploiting the new 125mph line speed between London, the Midlands and the North West and the number of train services per day was increased from 175 to 213. Fastest journey times from then will be:
London-Birmingham: 1 hour 21 minutesOn launching the new timetable in September, Virgin confirmed that further timetable and journey time improvements will be spread over the next 15 months and will culminate in the completion of the track engineering work to Glasgow by December 2005. Also during that event, the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman Robert Finch officially unveiled the city’s name on one of the 53-strong fleet of Pendolino trains. ‘City of London’ is one of 15 Pendolinos to be named after locations on the West Coast route. Sir Richard Branson said: “I’ve waited five years to see Pendolino tilting at 125mph and today is a very emotional day both for myself and the rail industry which has finally made it happen.” Today is the first stage of the West Coast evolution. There are more improvements in December 2004 and Liverpool, Preston, Glasgow and Edinburgh will all benefit from a second round of accelerations in December 2005 as further track upgrade work is completed north of Crewe. Pendolino offers all passengers an on-board audio system, with a selection of music and radio channels. There are also power points to enable passengers to charge mobile phones or to power laptop computers. The award-winning onboard shop offers a wide range of hot and cold food, alcoholic and soft drinks, books, magazines, CDs, sweets and toiletries. 36 Pendolinos were in passenger service every day from September 27, and increased to 42 trains a day in December. Remaining Pendolinos will undergo modifications and be used for driver training. By June 2005, 45 Pendolinos will be in service every day. 42 of the total fleet of 53 Pendolino trains have currently been delivered to Virgin Trains, which is investing over £1bn in the fleet. This investment includes maintenance of the trains. Network Rail’s upgrading the West Coast Main Line enables Pendolinos to travel at 125mph and to tilt around curves, which will enable journey times to be reduced. 100 miles of West Coast route between London and Manchester have already been upgraded for 125mph and tilt operation and are currently being used for driver training. The driver tilt training is taking place between Hanslope (south of Rugby) and Atherstone, and also between Colwich (south of Stafford) and Cheadle Hulme. Driver tilt training is also taking place between Carlisle and Tebay in the Lake District. |
