Pendolinos to be adapted to winter conditions

High-speed trains, which have faced criticism for lack of reliability, will not be tilting next winter

print this

Finland’s entire fleet of 18 high-speed Pendolino trains are to be fitted up with winter equipment in order that traffic in icy conditions could be managed better than previously.
      Hot water pipes will be installed under the carriages, the purpose of which is to remove compacted snow and ice off the bogies faster than before.
      Hot water will be led to the pipes at depots, which will speed up the de-icing process. The new system should help locomotives run more smoothly, preventing train delays.
      ”When snow and ice are compacted on the bogies, the trains can no longer tilt”, says Ari Vanhanen, the head of long-distance services at the Finnish State Railways, VR.
      When the Pendolino cannot tilt, the train cannot run at its top speed, particularly round curves.
      Another modification will be an armour plate fitted to shield the bottom of the carriage against snow and ice.
      The first Pendolinos will get their new equipment at the end of the year. The improvement works will be carried out across the fleet in the course of the three years.
     
Next winter, tilting - the Pendolinos’ special feature - will be switched off entirely.
      The trains will then run a little slower in order that they could better adhere to their slightly relaxed timetables.
      For example, the journey time between Helsinki and Tampere will be two or three minutes longer, while that on the railway line to Jyväskylä will be some 15 to 20 minutes longer, according to Vanhanen.
      A new coupling system will also be installed in all Pendolino trains in order to quickly couple and uncouple the trains online at intermediate stations or main junctions.
      Coupling of two trainsets will improve the flexibility of the traffic and it will allow more capacity on the congested tracks.
     
According to VR, this modification will also make travelling faster and smoother, while at the same time offering passengers a number of new fast connections.
      It is also expected to relieve congestion at the Helsinki Central Railway Station to some extent.
     
The first two Pendolinos were bought from Italy in the mid-1990s and assembled in Finland. Further units followed between 2000 and 2006.
      The 220-km/h intercity trains have enjoyed only mixed fortunes, with criticisms being expressed over both their reliability (particularly in the winter months) and the fact that the maximum speed in excess of 200 km/hour is possible only on a relatively short stretch of track between Kerava and Lahti.
      A newer dual-voltage version of the standard Sm3 model - the Sm6 - is in use on the Allegro high-speed route between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, opened last year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Commuter trains continue to run reduced services, as commuters´ patience wears thin (23.2.2010)

See also:
  Putin joins Halonen on first run of high-speed Allegro train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg (13.12.2010)
  Pendolino engine blows up at full speed on main line (14.5.2010)

Links:
  Alstom press release 19.8.2011
  VR Pendolino (Wikipedia)
  Finnish Railways, VR

Helsingin Sanomat