British class 390

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Class 390 "Pendolino"
Class 390 “Pendolino” at Birmingham New Street Station
Class 390 “Pendolino” at Birmingham New Street Station
Number: 53
Manufacturer: Alstom , Washwood Heath
( Fiat tilting technology)
Length over buffers: 217 m
Height: 2.73 m
Width: 2.73 m
Empty mass: 466 t
Wheel set mass : 14.7 t
Top speed: 225 km / h (approved)
200 km / h (on duty)
Continuous output : 5100 kW
Starting tractive effort: 204 kN
Power system : 25 kV
Number of traction motors: 24
Seats: 145 (first class)
294 (second class)

The British Class 390 vehicles, also known as Pendolino Britannico , are electrically powered tilting trains operated by Virgin Trains on the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom . The trains were built by Alstom , the active tilting technology comes from Fiat .

history

When Virgin Trains won the tender for InterCity traffic on the West Coast Main Line in 1997, it was decided to replace the trains running there with new rolling stock. The old trains were mainly electric locomotives of the types BR class 86 , BR class 87 and BR class 90 , as well as cars of the types BR Mark 2 and BR Mark 3 in push-pull operation . Alstom / Fiat was then commissioned to build tilting trains; most of the components are from Fiat, but final assembly was done at Washwood Heath . 53 units were built between 2001 and 2004, with the numbers 390001 to 390053.

This is not the first time that tilting trains are being operated on the WCML. British Rail had built the Advanced Passenger Train (APT; British Rail Class 370) twenty years earlier . Though it ultimately failed, much of its technology survived - it was sold to Fiat, making the Class 390 a successor to the APT in some ways.

Originally, the trains were supposed to travel at a speed of 225 km / h (140 mph). The expansion of the West Coast Main Line was more expensive than planned, so it was only expanded for a maximum speed of 200 km / h (125 mph). The trains were then designed accordingly for this maximum speed. This means that trains run at the same speed as British Rail's APTs used to be; however, these had originally been developed for a speed of 155 mph and had actually reached 162 mph (261 km / h) on test drives.

On May 21, 2004, approval was given to operate at a top speed of 125 mph (with tilting technology). In mid-2004, 45 of 53 trains were in use on the WCML. 566 trains were offered weekly. On September 20, 2004, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent the first 200 km / h train on its way. Scheduled operations began on September 27, 2004 at 200 km / h. The travel times have thus been reduced by 20 percent, while the offer has been increased by 22 percent.

Class 390 multiple unit en route from Liverpool to London
Class 390 interior

To use the trains first came on the line from Euston to Manchester Piccadilly Station on 23 July 2002, the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester . In the following months, the Class 390 trains took over the transport to Manchester and were completely even after Liverpool Lime Street Station , Birmingham New Street Station , Wolverhampton and Preston used. At the end of 2003, the last Class 86 locomotive was also replaced by Pendolinos.

In 2004 the Pendolinos were then also used to Glasgow Central station and later on all routes north of Preston ; this meant that the BR class 90 locomotives could be completely saved. Due to technical problems with the Pendolinos, some Class 87 locomotives remained in service.

In the same year the Pendolinos were also released for the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead . Since this route is not electrified, the trains are pulled by BR Class 57 diesel locomotives (which are also used when Pendolinos are diverted over non-electrified routes).

technology

Class 390 is next to Class 395 and Class 800 the fastest British multiple unit; only the Franco-British Eurostar is faster, but the signaling system also limits it to a speed of 125 mph (200 km / h) on upgraded routes. In September 2006, a Class 390 set a new record for the 401 mile (642 km) route from Glasgow to London; At 3 hours 55 minutes, it was faster than the previous record of 4 hours 14 minutes set by the Advanced Passenger Train in 1981.

In contrast to the other Pendolino tilting trains, which use hydraulic tilting technology, an electromechanical tilting technology was built into the class 390 (developed by SIG , later FIAT-SIG and now ALSTOM rail vehicles AG and ESW GmbH ). In contrast to the FIAT tilting technology, no pendulums are used, but inclined scenes running on rollers. This should be more efficient and cause lower maintenance costs. Instead of a traditional dining car, there is an on-board bistro. There is an electronic information system, with displays on the ends of the car and on the outside of the doors. There are headphone sockets for the on-board radio on the seats. There are also electronic displays for seat reservations; However, these have proven to be unreliable, so that reservations are still made with paper slips. The compartment doors open at the push of a button. The older British Rail Mark 3 and British Rail Mark 4 wagons were criticized for drafts when the sensor-equipped doors were held open by a piece of luggage. However, today there is criticism that the doors close when passengers are still waiting to get off. The doors have extendable steps that adjust to the platform height. This was already the case with the APT-P.

The Pendolino fleet is based at the Manchester Traincare Center in Longsight , where major maintenance work is carried out; there is also a lifting platform that can lift an entire train. Minor maintenance work is also carried out at Alstom's other workshops, namely Wembley (in London), Oxley (near Wolverhampton), Edge Hill (in Liverpool) and Polmadie (in Glasgow).

Each unit consists of nine cars; the first 34 units were built with just eight cars, a ninth was added in 2004. A unit is composed as follows:

Wagon number Type description Seats
1st Class 2nd Class Toilets
69101-69153 DMRFO End car (powered): first class, restaurant 18th - -
69401-69453 MFOD Intermediate car (powered): first class, disabled seat 39 - 1 (handicapped accessible)
69501-69553 PTFO Intermediate car (with pantograph ): first class 44 - 1
69601-69653 MFO Intermediate car (powered): first class 46 - 1
68801-68853 TSO Intermediate car: second class - 76 1
69701-69753 MSO Intermediate car (powered): second class, disabled seat - 66 1 (handicapped accessible)
69801-69853 PTSRMB Intermediate car (with pantograph): second class, on-board bistro - 48 -
69901-69953 MSO Intermediate car (powered): second class, disabled seat - 64 1 (handicapped accessible)
69201-69253 DMSO End car (powered): second class - 46 1

Problems and incidents

In October 2004, a train collided with the buffer stop at the platform start in Liverpool Lime Street Station ; a similar accident happened a few weeks later in the same train station. According to the Rail Safety and Standards Board, the cause was a software error in the anti-lock braking system that deactivates the brakes at low speed after a long period of coasting (as happens when entering a train station). Until the error was rectified, the maximum speed was 110 mph.

Another problem (which also occurred with the diesel-powered sister trains of class 220 ) concerned the toilets; The smell that occurred was probably due to the fact that the ventilation opening for the waste water tanks was right next to the air conditioning intake openings. To remedy the problem, air fresheners were installed, the sewage tanks cleaned (with a liquid also used on Virgin Atlantic aircraft), the sewage pipes replaced and the sewage tank ventilation modified.

The high weight of the trains caused significantly higher wear and tear on the rails. In addition, the tilting technology requires a smaller car cross-section, and the floor is also raised compared to other trains in order to be able to accommodate the tilting mechanism underneath. There are also handicapped accessible toilets. All of this reduces the seating capacity compared to the old trains and ensures a higher weight per passenger and thus more energy consumption, which was criticized in 2006 by the British Transport Minister Alistair Darling . Other points of criticism are the smaller windows, which let less light into the train (although the thick window frames are also due to increased crash safety ), and the lack of bicycle parking spaces.

After all, several trains had to be taken out of service in order to retrofit sand spreaders - which, strangely enough, had not been installed during construction.

Derailment at Grayrigg

On February 23, 2007, a Pendolino derailed near Grayrigg in Cumbria . The train with the number 390 033 and the name "City Of Glasgow" was on the way from Euston station (departure 5:15 pm) to Glasgow Central station ; 115 passengers were on board in the accident and one person was killed. The cause was a defective switch; Overall, however, the crash safety of the train was confirmed in the accident.

future

After the number of passengers had increased significantly as a result of the route modernization, the Department for Transport , the Ministry of Transport, decided to increase capacities. To this end, additional vehicles were ordered from Alstom Transport in September 2008. Four 11-part trains are being produced from scratch and 31 existing sets are being supplemented by 2 cars each. In addition, an option was agreed under which the remaining 21 trains can also be extended. The new sets are scheduled to go into operation in 2011 and 2012. This measure is accompanied by modifications to the depots in order to be able to handle the extended trains.

Since the previous production plant in Washwood Heath was closed, the new vehicles will be manufactured in the Italian Alstom tilting technology center in Savigliano .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.angeltrains.co.uk/Products-Services/High-Speed-Trains/30
  2. ↑ a b Message Virgin Pendolinos with 200 km / h . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 11/2004, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 510.
  3. ↑ Message Virgin-Pendolino with 200 km / h . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 7/2004, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 319.
  4. ↑ Pendolino Britannico in operation at 200 km / h . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , Issue 3/2005, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 111 f.
  5. ↑ BBC: Virgin Cuts Speed ​​of Pendolino
  6. ↑ GOVERNMENT PLANS NEW LONG-TERM RAIL STRATEGY ( Memento from May 4, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (Rail has not done as well as it could on the environment)
  7. ↑ 106 extra Pendolino carriages for West Coast main line  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Department for Transport press release, September 19, 2008@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / nds.coi.gov.uk  
  8. ↑ UK Department for Transport reaches agreement with Alstom for supply and maintenance of Pendolino high-speed tilting trains  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Press release ALSTOM Holdings SA dated May 6, 2008@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.alstom.com  

Web links

Commons : British Class 390  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files