The first of the new fourth-generation "Pendolino" high-speed tilting-trains recently left the Alstom Ferroviaria workshops at Savigliano in Italy to begin an intensive period of testing on an international circuit based in the Czech Republic. Before leaving, the train was officially presented to authorities and media in Savigliano. The new Pendolino, which has been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, will be entirely manufactured in Transport’s Savigliano and Sesto sites. As such, it was a special day for all the employees who worked on the project and ensured that the deadlines were respected.

The name, “Pendolino”, is used to identify the family of high-speed, tilting-technology trains. These trains owe their name (which in Italian means ‘small pendulum’) to the mechanism enabling them to tilt when going round a bend. The maximum tilt of 8 degrees allows the trains to reach a speed that is up to 35 percent higher than for conventional trains, whilst assuring the greatest safety and comfort for passengers. Developed by Alstom Ferroviaria, world leader in the production of high-speed trains based on tilting technology, they are built at Alstom’s Savigliano sites, in Piedmont and in Sesto San Giovanni near Milan which will supply the traction converters.

This was the first of 26 train sets which were ordered by Trenitalia and Cisalpino in 2004, and which are set to be running by the end of 2006 in Italy, and from the beginning of 2007, in Switzerland. To date, over 400 Pendolino trains are in circulation around the world, covering more than 200 million kilometres in China, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. The New Pendolino is the 4th generation of tilting technology “made in Italy” since its development in the 1970s. Formerly owned by Fiat, the company (Fiat Ferroviaria) was bought by Alstom. The firm’s unique technology, which is particularly suited for windy tracks, enables high-speed trains to run on existing railway lines, reducing journey time by 15 to 30 percent.

The New Pendolino trains represent a further development of the earlier models in order to better respond to the requirements expressed by the market and the customers of Trenitalia and Cisalpino. The innovative features concern the interior and exterior design, now closer to the customers’ brand strategy, and improved comfort and services for passengers. Moreover, some important technical characteristics have been improved, such as the power of the “traction unit”, and the level of “redundancy” of components and equipment to achieve an ever-better level of reliability.
 

The new trains will be produced in full accordance with the new regulations governing interoperability (for example, passive security in case of impact). The New Pendolino trains, to be delivered in 2006, will mark an important stage in the process of modernisation of Trenitalia’s fleet. In terms of innovative conception, futuristic design, and thanks to the exceptional technological content and comfort (touch-screen videos in the coaches, LAN and Wi-fi systems, ergonomic seats, maximum rationalisation of passenger space), these trains satisfy the most recent European standards of interoperability. They can run on the networks of other European Union countries.

“With the arrival of the New Pendolino trains, the Ferrovie dello Stato has taken an important step forward. We are now at the threshold of the entry into service of the new Italian high-speed lines, the largest infrastructure project undertaken in Italy since the Second World War, and Trenitalia will be ready to respond with an agile, modern fleet able to meet the customers’ demands”, commented Elio Catania, President and Managing Director of the Ferrovie dello Stato group.

Roberto Testore, Managing Director of Trenitalia, declared that “Trenitalia is calling into play all its energy with the aim of offering its customers a comfortable, fast journey and services modelled increasingly on their expectations. We are placing such emphasis on the level of quality of these new high-speed services that we are planning to create a dedicated brand. A brand in which to concentrate additional services and facilities which, together with the journey itself, aim to embrace every phase that precedes and follows it”.

“With the New Pendolino, we have reached the fourth generation of trains based on tilting technology, suited to covering long distances at high speed”, explained Emilio Gallocchio, managing director of Alstom Ferroviaria. “These have proven to be a great success throughout the world, and combine technological innovation and attention to passenger comfort. This is a train designed and built in Italy at the Savigliano yards, and underlines the ability of our country to undertake applied research and to industrialise major productions with high technological and design content. This important commission confirms the position of Alstom as a strategic partner for high speed railways.”

Giorgetto Giugiaro, responsible for the design of the New Pendolino, in turn expressed his great satisfaction for the final results of the experiment and research carried out by his company. “The design of the new high-speed Pendolino," stated Giugiaro, “matured over 18 months of studies and research concentrating on the performance of the train and every aspect of its operation, ergonomics and comfort, as required by the precise and ambitious guidelines produced by Trenitalia for this programme, one which represents a ground-breaking step in Italian railway transport.”