| čItalia Number 61, January-February 2010 |
| The Pendolino, the Most Exported Train in the World
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| di Emilio Gallocchio, President of Alstom Italia |
| A CHAMPION ITALIAN PRODUCT FROM THE HEART OF PIEDMONT - Its features and the ability to adapt to different national contexts make it an unprecedented commercial success |
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 Few people know that Italy holds the record for the most exported passenger train in the world - the ‘Pendolino,’ produced by Alstom Ferroviaria in the Savigliano (CN) factory.
More than 400 have been ordered in various countries, from Spain to Finland, Portugal to the Czech Republic, and Great Britain to China.
This technological gem, entirely designed, developed and produced in Italy, has three salient features - the variable set-up, which allows the coaches an incline of up to 8° in bends (giving the train its name ‘Pendolino’), the engines on bogies and the coaches in aluminium alloy.
These features give it, firstly, a travelling speed in bends 30% higher than trains with a fixed trim. There is also better acceleration from a standstill and starting torque (as a result of the distributed drive), less wear of the infrastructure (due to lower loads per axle), greater space for the transport of passengers (through the elimination of the locomotive). The ‘Pendolino’ can thus reach speeds of 250/270 kph on traditional tracks, without needing special high speed lines whose production ‘ex novo’ has very high costs and problems of acceptance, especially in countries with high population density.
The ‘Pendolino’ is a train which adapts to different national contexts. Some models can use three different electrical supply voltages and recent models are fitted with the European signalling standard European Rail Traffic Management System. The 22 trains operating in Russia and Finland have greater gauge and are prepared for the winter so that they can operate in Arctic temperatures without problem.
From this, it can be understood why the ‘Pendolino’ family of trains has been an unprecedented commercial success for 25 years, a champion of Italian products which accessed the world market as a result of Alstom’s global distribution, conquering railway companies in 10 countries and transporting more than 300 million people. The 53 ‘Pendolino’ purchased by the British company Virgin Trains in 2003 allowed it to win the prize as the ‘Best Railway Company’ in the country for punctuality and regularity of service in 2008.
Today, several countries are focusing on the development of railway transport, both nationally and internationally - seizing even more opportunities to continue this international success story.
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