Class 390 (Pendolino): Data & Information
Class 390/0 (9-car formation): DMRF+MF+PTF+MS+TS+MS+PTSRMB+MS+DMSO
390001/002/005/006/008-011/013/016/020/039/040/042-047/049/050
Class 390/1 (11-car formation): DMRF+MF+PTF+MF+TS+MS+TS+MS+PTSRMB+MS+DMSO
390103/104/107/112/114/115/117/118/119/121-132/134-138/141/148/151-157
390033 was withdrawn after being involved in the Grayrigg, Cumbria derailment that occurred on 23rd February 2007.
The Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ is a high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) using Fiat Ferroviaria's tilting train Pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fiat Ferroviaria supplied much of the content of the Class 390, including the unit's bodyshell and the bogies, while final assembly was carried out at the former Metro Cammell works in Washwood Heath, Birmingham (by then owned by Alstom). They were ordered as 8-car units which was later extended to 9-car units. The original 53-set Pendolino fleet were built and delivered in 9-car formation between 2001 and 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). 31 units were later extended to an 11-car formation, with the addition of two new carriages (the 653xx Trailer Standards and the 689xx Motor Standards), built by Alstom at Savigliano, in Italy as the Washwood Heath plant had closed in 2005 after assembly of the original batch of units. These additional vehicles along with four additional Savigliano-built 11-car units (390154-157, built 2010-2012) were delivered via the Channel Tunnel. With Virgin Trains' franchise extended until December 2012, the first new 11-car set (390 156) entered service on 5th April 2012. The remaining three new sets were brought into service, along with the 31 sets increased to 11 carriages, over the next eight months. The lengthening project was completed in December 2012. All of the 11-car formations were renumbered as the sub class 390/1.
The Class 390 Pendolino is one of the fastest domestic electric multiple units operating in Britain, with a design speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); however, limitations to track signalling systems restrict the trains to a maximum speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) in service.
During 1997, Virgin Rail Group began operating the InterCity West Coast franchise, taking over from state-owned British Rail. Virgin were awarded the franchise having made a commitment to replace the locomotives and rolling stock in use on the route, namely the Class 86, 87 and 90 electric locomotives and Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaching stock, with brand new tilting trains. Following negotiations with several manufacturers, Virgin placed an order with Alstom/Fiat Ferroviaria to produce the envisioned tilting train, which was known by the name ‘Pendolino’ and was later designated under TOPS as the Class 390.
The service introduction of the Pendolino was repeatedly delayed, a fact which has been attributed to the poor project management and the collapse of infrastructure owner Railtrack. The fleet was introduced into passenger services from Birmingham International to Manchester Piccadilly on 23rd July 2002 to coincide with the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. During the Games, they operated a daily return service between the two cities, however, it was not until 27th January 2003 that the first Pendolino carried passengers between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly. For some time, a return trip was worked by a Pendolino on Thursdays only, but over the following months, the type took over the Manchester services, and was soon introduced on routes from London to Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton and Preston. By late 2003, the last of the Virgin operated Class 86 locomotives had been withdrawn from operations on the WCML During 2004, the fleet's sphere of operation was expanded further and Pendolinos began to operate services to Glasgow Central, and by the end of summer, all services north of Preston were worked by Class 390 units enabling Virgin to withdraw their Class 90 locomotives and make inroads into their Class 87 fleet. It was envisaged that all locomotive-hauled trains would have been replaced by the end of 2004, but the Pendolinos suffered from several technical problems, which granted the Class 87s a temporary reprieve. By January 2005, only eight locomotives remained in traffic for use on peak London Euston to Birmingham New Street services.
Another development during 2004 was the clearing of the units for operation along the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin utilised its fleet of Class 57/3 ‘Thunderbird’ diesel locomotives to haul the Pendolinos on this unelectrified route forward of Crewe. After Virgin Trains lost the Cross Country franchise, the company allocated its remaining Class 221 Super Voyagers to the North Wales Coast Line, ending the practice of hauling Pendolinos from Crewe and thus making several Class 57 locomotives redundant.
As part of the subsequent extension of the franchise until April 2017, Virgin Trains made further enhancements to the Pendolinos. The 21 nine-carriage sets each had one first class carriage converted to standard class. This work was completed by September 2015.[58]
In December 2019, all 56 trains transferred to Avanti West Coast, operators of the new West Coast Partnership, and have received an interior refurbishment including new seating.
All sets were delivered in Virgin Trains livery of silver bodysides with black areas around the windows, red roofs and red cab-sides with the red areas on the cabs being separated from the silver with a curved white band. Doors were originally painted with grey and white stripes. These were re-vinyled in plain grey in 2015. All 53 of the original sets were given cast nameplates in a standard style bearing the word Pendolino on the top of each name although several sets were subsequently renamed with similar replacement cast nameplates being fitted. New cast names were applied to the additional four sets after they had initially entered service without names.
From September 2017 onwards, the fleet was repainted by Alstom in Widnes into a new livery known as "flowing silk", featuring plain white bodysides, black roofs and a vinyl applied red swoosh around the driving cab intended to visually represent a moving piece of silk. The livery was designed to use neutral colours at the behest of the Department for Transport to allow for an easier rebranding. The first set to wear this livery was 390 010. All of the nine-car sets were repainted with 390050 being the last to be treated in August 2018, with repaints then commencing on the eleven-car sets. The final set to receive the full flowing silk livery was 390141 in August 2019. Subsequent repaints omitted all Virgin branding in preparation for the end of the franchise in December 2019. Cast nameplates have been removed from each set upon repaint, however most of the Virgin-prefixed names have not been re-applied but generally those named after places, people and events have had the name re-applied in the form of a vinyl sticker.
Read More390001/002/005/006/008-011/013/016/020/039/040/042-047/049/050
Class 390/1 (11-car formation): DMRF+MF+PTF+MF+TS+MS+TS+MS+PTSRMB+MS+DMSO
390103/104/107/112/114/115/117/118/119/121-132/134-138/141/148/151-157
390033 was withdrawn after being involved in the Grayrigg, Cumbria derailment that occurred on 23rd February 2007.
The Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ is a high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) using Fiat Ferroviaria's tilting train Pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fiat Ferroviaria supplied much of the content of the Class 390, including the unit's bodyshell and the bogies, while final assembly was carried out at the former Metro Cammell works in Washwood Heath, Birmingham (by then owned by Alstom). They were ordered as 8-car units which was later extended to 9-car units. The original 53-set Pendolino fleet were built and delivered in 9-car formation between 2001 and 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). 31 units were later extended to an 11-car formation, with the addition of two new carriages (the 653xx Trailer Standards and the 689xx Motor Standards), built by Alstom at Savigliano, in Italy as the Washwood Heath plant had closed in 2005 after assembly of the original batch of units. These additional vehicles along with four additional Savigliano-built 11-car units (390154-157, built 2010-2012) were delivered via the Channel Tunnel. With Virgin Trains' franchise extended until December 2012, the first new 11-car set (390 156) entered service on 5th April 2012. The remaining three new sets were brought into service, along with the 31 sets increased to 11 carriages, over the next eight months. The lengthening project was completed in December 2012. All of the 11-car formations were renumbered as the sub class 390/1.
The Class 390 Pendolino is one of the fastest domestic electric multiple units operating in Britain, with a design speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); however, limitations to track signalling systems restrict the trains to a maximum speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) in service.
During 1997, Virgin Rail Group began operating the InterCity West Coast franchise, taking over from state-owned British Rail. Virgin were awarded the franchise having made a commitment to replace the locomotives and rolling stock in use on the route, namely the Class 86, 87 and 90 electric locomotives and Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaching stock, with brand new tilting trains. Following negotiations with several manufacturers, Virgin placed an order with Alstom/Fiat Ferroviaria to produce the envisioned tilting train, which was known by the name ‘Pendolino’ and was later designated under TOPS as the Class 390.
The service introduction of the Pendolino was repeatedly delayed, a fact which has been attributed to the poor project management and the collapse of infrastructure owner Railtrack. The fleet was introduced into passenger services from Birmingham International to Manchester Piccadilly on 23rd July 2002 to coincide with the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. During the Games, they operated a daily return service between the two cities, however, it was not until 27th January 2003 that the first Pendolino carried passengers between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly. For some time, a return trip was worked by a Pendolino on Thursdays only, but over the following months, the type took over the Manchester services, and was soon introduced on routes from London to Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton and Preston. By late 2003, the last of the Virgin operated Class 86 locomotives had been withdrawn from operations on the WCML During 2004, the fleet's sphere of operation was expanded further and Pendolinos began to operate services to Glasgow Central, and by the end of summer, all services north of Preston were worked by Class 390 units enabling Virgin to withdraw their Class 90 locomotives and make inroads into their Class 87 fleet. It was envisaged that all locomotive-hauled trains would have been replaced by the end of 2004, but the Pendolinos suffered from several technical problems, which granted the Class 87s a temporary reprieve. By January 2005, only eight locomotives remained in traffic for use on peak London Euston to Birmingham New Street services.
Another development during 2004 was the clearing of the units for operation along the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin utilised its fleet of Class 57/3 ‘Thunderbird’ diesel locomotives to haul the Pendolinos on this unelectrified route forward of Crewe. After Virgin Trains lost the Cross Country franchise, the company allocated its remaining Class 221 Super Voyagers to the North Wales Coast Line, ending the practice of hauling Pendolinos from Crewe and thus making several Class 57 locomotives redundant.
As part of the subsequent extension of the franchise until April 2017, Virgin Trains made further enhancements to the Pendolinos. The 21 nine-carriage sets each had one first class carriage converted to standard class. This work was completed by September 2015.[58]
In December 2019, all 56 trains transferred to Avanti West Coast, operators of the new West Coast Partnership, and have received an interior refurbishment including new seating.
All sets were delivered in Virgin Trains livery of silver bodysides with black areas around the windows, red roofs and red cab-sides with the red areas on the cabs being separated from the silver with a curved white band. Doors were originally painted with grey and white stripes. These were re-vinyled in plain grey in 2015. All 53 of the original sets were given cast nameplates in a standard style bearing the word Pendolino on the top of each name although several sets were subsequently renamed with similar replacement cast nameplates being fitted. New cast names were applied to the additional four sets after they had initially entered service without names.
From September 2017 onwards, the fleet was repainted by Alstom in Widnes into a new livery known as "flowing silk", featuring plain white bodysides, black roofs and a vinyl applied red swoosh around the driving cab intended to visually represent a moving piece of silk. The livery was designed to use neutral colours at the behest of the Department for Transport to allow for an easier rebranding. The first set to wear this livery was 390 010. All of the nine-car sets were repainted with 390050 being the last to be treated in August 2018, with repaints then commencing on the eleven-car sets. The final set to receive the full flowing silk livery was 390141 in August 2019. Subsequent repaints omitted all Virgin branding in preparation for the end of the franchise in December 2019. Cast nameplates have been removed from each set upon repaint, however most of the Virgin-prefixed names have not been re-applied but generally those named after places, people and events have had the name re-applied in the form of a vinyl sticker.