Alstom sets a new high-speed record with its Pendolino in Poland

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Alstom sets a high-speed record in Poland reaching 293 km/h while conducting tests on its Pendolino train on the Gora Wlodowska - Psary line north-west of Krakow.

The record was reached as Alstom was conducting tests in the presence and in partnership with its customer, Polish operator PKP Intercity, to obtain circulation permission for the 20 Pendolino trains ordered by PKP Intercity in 2011. All the tests have been successful so far, which will enable PKP Intercity to start operation by the end of 2014.

The contract signed with PKP Intercity also includes 17 years of maintenance and the construction of a new maintenance depot, to be inaugurated in the first quarter of 2014. The trains will circulate between Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdynia, Krakow, Katowice and Wroclaw.

The previous Polish high-speed record of 250 km/h was set in 1994, also by a Pendolino train. The highest speed recorded to date for a Pendolino train was 283 km/h in Italy in 2007. This technological milestone is another demonstration of Alstoms excellence in the high-speed and very high-speed market, in which the company is world leader with over 30 years of commercial service experience and has built one out of every three trains in operation in the world.Pendolino is the world's best-selling high speed train (500 trainsets sold).

Certified to operate in 13 countries¹, it can smoothly cross seven borders when in operation. With a 25-year return of experience in commercial service and an R&D programme designed to further optimise its performance, this Alstom high-speed train is able to address the needs of all regions worldwide - including North America, Russia, CIS and Asia - willing to develop high-speed transport.

Pendolino is designed to run at up to 250 km/h on both high-speed and conventional lines. Its success rests on its modularity and flexibility. It can be fully customised from interior layout to the number of cars (4 to 11), voltage power supply, gauge and suspension. Pendolino can be operated under extreme climate conditions (up to 45° and -45°C).

It is also available with Tiltronix, Alstom's tilting technology, which enables the train to tilt by up to 8 degrees and still run at 250 km/h, allowing it to travel 30-35% faster than conventional trains with even greater comfort.

Pendolino is mainly produced at Alstom's Savigliano factory in Italy. The Savigliano factory is currently executing contracts for PKP (Poland) and SBB (Switzerland).

^{1 - Austria, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom.}

Press contacts

Linda Huguet / Justine Rohée (Alstom Transport HQ)
Tel: +33 1 57 10 42 / 18 81
linda.huguet@transport.alstom.com; justine.rohee@transport.alstom.com