The super high speed trains require special track to run on. Track and corridors may seem quite an expensive investment and often the solution is to try (conventional) high speed first with lower speeds and tilting EMUs to improve the comfort of travelling. The idea behind the Pendolinos is to allow higher than normal speeds on the normal curved track by tilting the passenger compartment of the train. This gives additional decades to build the high speed lines and better service level for areas where building of the new track can't be judged.   
   
The tilt on trains was first introduced in 1938 in U.S.A. by Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. This was passive tilting system with unproper dampening and caused seasickness instead of the intended better comfort, so the experiment did not lead to production phase. The first successfull tilting train was finally created in 1950's by Talgo to use in Spain. For active tilting system the first atttempts were made in Great Britain in 1970's in the form of Advanced Passenger Train or APT. While the initial experiment was not successfull: seasickness was the result again, this phenomenon was later fixed simply by slightly less tilt (enabling still a slight sence of "cornering"), but the initial negative publicity lead to withdrawal of the prototype trains.  
 
Fiat Ferroviaria bought the technology for it's Pendolino trains and the prototype ETR401 started running successfully in 1975. It run successfully for years and this created the foundations for the success of the later Pendolino trains that can be found in many countries in Europe: Czech Republic, Finland (operator VR-Yhtyma), Great Britain (operator Virgin Trains), Italy, Portugal, Romania, Russia (soon with both the RZD (Russian Railways) and a joint venture Karelia Trains between RZD and Finnish State Railways VR-Yhtyma), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland in the form of Cisalpino (a joint operation between the SBB/CFF of Switzerland and Italian FS)  and outside Europe the great railroad nation China. In 1982 Fiat even acquired the patents from the APT project, which guaranteed lucrative markets to it for the coming years! With relative restricted markets (and huge capitals needed to successfully build trains) the manufacturer of the Pendolinos was in 2002 acquired by the French giant Alstom, better known for it's family of TGV and AGV  super high speed trains.  
   
While the new (improved tilting mechanism by Alstom) orders of Pendolinos run 250 kph, the Karelian railways Pendolinos are curiously capable of just 220 kph.  The Chinese "Pendolino" based on older design used in Finland is NONTILTING but capable of 250 kph running and the outside design is similar to the latest Pendolinos. It's not hard to guess that the future Pendolino trains will be capable of 270 kph or more.  
   
In the future The Pendolinos would provide an interesting opportunity for the former East European countries to improve their traffic service level, currently there will hardly be sufficient funds to built high speed tracks to replace the aged current infrastructure.     
      

 Pendolino train sets on European operators     
   Finnish VR-Yhtyma Pendolino version  UPDATED RECENTLY     
   
 

 !!! UNDER CONSTRUCTION FROM HERE, MORE TO BE ADDED SOON !!!

 Other operators / joint ventures, international use   
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 Future developments of Pendolino concepts   
     

 Other international use & exports       


 On Super High Speed   
   Super High Speed main page...     
   Eurostars on Super Fast Trains...     

... to be added ...

! Please see http://4rail.net/ch/cisalpino.html for ETR470 on Cisalpino ! 

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Technical details  
-> Delivered to use:  1996 -
-> Number of units:  9
-> Unit numbers:  
-> Configuration:  2M-2T-2M-T-2M
-> Capacity: 473+2 passengers in two class configuration
-> Owned and operated by: Cisalpino (joint venture of FS and SBB/CFF
-> operations area:  Switzerland, Italy

-> Unit length: 236,6 m 
-> Unit power: 5880 kW (___ Hp) 
-> Power to weight ratio (Hp): 
-> bicurrent versions: 15 kV 16,7 Hz, 3000 V 
-> Operational max. speed: 200 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: 460  (  ___ net / ___ t gross )
-> Coupler type:   
-> Axle weight max: ___ tons

Easy recognition guide

Finnish class: Sm3 ,
Manufacturer type: Pendolino ETR460
   
Technical details  
-> Delivered to use:  1995 2 units, 1999 - 2006 16 units
-> Number of units: 18
-> Unit numbers: 7XXX 
-> Configuration:  2M-2T-2M    
-> Capacity: 307 passengers in two class configuration
-> Owned and operated by: VR-Yhtyma 
-> operations area:  Finland

-> Unit length:  158.9 meters
-> Unit power: 4000 kW (___ Hp) 
-> Power to weight ratio (Hp): 
-> single current versions: 25 kW 50 Hz 
-> Operational max. speed: 220 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: 304,7 t  ( ___ net / ___ t gross )
-> Wheel diameter: ___ mm
-> Coupler type:   
-> Axle weight max: ___ tons


Easy recognition guide

• Seen only in the Finnish Area. 
• VR Logos on both ends and at the left top of the entrance of coaches.   
  
  

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Technical details  
-> Delivered to use:
-> Number of units:
-> Unit numbers 
-> Configuration:
-> Capacity: __ passengers in two class configuration
-> Owned and operated by
-> operations area:

-> Unit length:
-> Unit power: ___ kW (___ Hp) 
-> Power to weight ratio (Hp): 
->   single current versions: 
-> Operational max. speed: 220 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: ___ net / ___ t gross
-> Wheel diameter: ___ mm
-> Coupler type:   
-> Axle weight max: ___ tons

Easy recognition guide

T

Technical details  
-> Delivered to use:
-> Number of units:
-> Unit numbers 
-> Configuration:
-> Capacity: __ passengers in two class configuration
-> Owned and operated by
-> operations area:

-> Unit length:
-> Unit power: ___ kW (___ Hp) 
-> Power to weight ratio (Hp): 
->   single current versions: 
-> Operational max. speed: 220 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: ___ net / ___ t gross
-> Wheel diameter: ___ mm
-> Coupler type:   
-> Axle weight max: ___ tons

Easy recognition guide

Currently being built in Italy.

Technical details  
-> Delivered to use: 2010 - 
-> Number of units: 4
-> Unit numbers:  
-> Configuration:
-> Capacity: __ passengers in two class configuration
-> Owned and operated by
-> operations area:

-> Unit length:
-> Unit power: ___ kW (___ Hp) 
-> Power to weight ratio (Hp): 
->   single current versions: 
-> Operational max. speed: 220 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: ___ net / ___ t gross
-> Wheel diameter: ___ mm
-> Coupler type:   
-> Axle weight max: ___ tons

Easy recognition guide