The Allegro trains have reached one million passengers
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The fast Allegro train, operating between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, welcomed its one millionth passenger on Friday 20 September. Eight fast Allegro services operate with four trains between Helsinki and St. Petersburg daily.
The four Pendolino Allegro trains have been manufactured at the Alstom site in Savigliano, Italy. The delivery and commissioning of the trains started in Spring 2010 and the commercial operation in December 2010.
The tilting technology enables the trains to travel between Helsinki and St Petersburg at speeds of up to 220 kph. The journey time on this 450 km long trip has been shortened to three and a half hours. Alstom concluded the contract on the four new Pendolino trains with Karelian Trains Ltd. in 2007. Karelian Trains Ltd. is a joint venture between VR Corporation and Russian State Railways OAO RZD. The high speed link was named Allegro.
The trains are based on the Pendolinos which already operate in Finland. They also include technology of the very latest generation of Alstom tilting trains, the New Pendolino (traction system, braking system and hydraulic tilting mechanism), and come with a dual voltage power supply system and safety and signalling systems, making them suitable for the Finnish and Russian networks.
Alstom's Pendolino train has been an international success. They are in operation in 11 countries: the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovenia, Portugal, Russia, Spain, China and Finland. With 95% market share in Europe and the world, Alstom is the uncontested leader in the electric tilting trains sector.