Penny the Pendolino becomes ‘One in a Million’

09 January 2008

A Virgin Trains’ Pendolino tilting train, designed, built and maintained by Alstom, has become the first of the 52-strong fleet to clock up a million miles.

Train No. 390022, named Penny the Pendolino, clocked up the magical million miles yesterday evening, Tuesday 8 January 2008, as it worked the 17:15 from London Euston to Glasgow. The train clocked up its million miles just south of Bletchley in Buckinghamshire.

Passenger numbers on Virgin’s West Coast routes have increased by 40% since the introduction of Pendolino trains in 2003. Almost 21 million passenger journeys are now made with Virgin Trains every year. In travelling one million miles, Penny the Pendolino has travelled the equivalent of two return trips to the moon; or over 1,230 return trips from Glasgow to London.

The popularity and intensive use of the Pendolino trains means that they will each clock up a million miles in around half the time trains took a decade ago. In providing a 24/7 maintenance regime for the Pendolino fleet, Alstom ensures that the trains can meet their demanding schedule every day.

The state-of-the-art 125mph Pendolino trains emit on average 76% less carbon dioxide per seat than domestic airlines and are also saving energy and reducing pollution as they return energy to the electrical feeder stations every time they brake. The 52 tilting trains, designed, built and maintained by Alstom, are fitted with electronic control systems that cause the traction motors to provide braking effort by generating electricity back into the supply system. The generated electricity which is put back into the supply system achieves an overall energy saving of 17 percent.

Regenerative braking used on the Pendolino trains also reduces the use of the friction brakes, dramatically reducing brake-pad dust and pollution, to provide a double environmental benefit.
Virgin Trains Managing Director Chris Gibb said: “This is a landmark for our Pendolino fleet, which also provides valuable benefits to the environment. We know that our passengers care about the environment and they can travel in the knowledge that by choosing to travel by train, they are doing their bit to save the planet and reduce consumption of energy.”

Alstom Transport UK Managing Director Paul Robinson said: “This milestone again demonstrates Alstom and Virgin’s round the clock teamwork in providing a safe, high-performance Pendolino fleet every day. We are fully committed to supporting Virgin in delivering a world-class intercity service.”

ENDS

For further information contact the Virgin Trains Press Desk on 0845 000 3333, or ALSTOM Transport press office: contact Helen Connolly on 01788 545602 (http://www.transport.alstom.com/).

Media Information

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group, which is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Alstom Transport is the worldwide leader in high speed and very high speed train technology and continues to take up challenges in more than 60 countries. Further information can be found on the Alstom Transport website at http://www.transport.alstom.com/.

Notes to Editors
One million miles travelled by Penny the Pendolino is equivalent to:
556,815,332 revolutions of each wheel
Two return trips to the moon
Travelling 40 times around the earth
145 return trips between London and New York

During its million miles Penny the Pendolino has:
Used 5,830,875 litres of water (equivalent to 5,830 bathtubs of water)
Had 78 wiper blades fitted
Had 1,840 brake pads fitted
Put 5,130MWh of energy back into the National Grid (equivalent to powering 1,300 homes for a year; providing power for 230 FA Cup finals; or lighting the Wembley floodlights for nine months)

Passengers travelling on Penny the Pendolino will have consumed more than:
700,000 cups of tea
63,000 cans of Virgin Cola
72,000 sausages
67,500 rashers of bacon
180,000 free range eggs
216,000 slices of toast
90,000 sandwiches

The 52-strong Pendolino fleet now travels around 40,000 miles a day and has covered almost 46 million miles – the equivalent of travelling half way to the sun.

Total households in Great Britain 24.7 million in 2004. (Source: www.statistics.gov.uk).

Typical household annual electricity consumption values are estimated between 3300 kWh and 4600 kWh. The calculation has taken 4000 kWh as an average.