Pendolino (from Italian pendolo [ˈpɛndolo] "pendulum", and -ino, a diminutive suffix) is an Italian family of high-speed tilting trains (and non-tilting) used in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia (Czech railways are operating), the UK, the US, Switzerland, China, and Greece. It was also used in Russia from December 12, 2010 until March 26, 2022.[1] Based on the design of the Italian ETR 401 (itself utilising technologies developed for the British Rail APT-E), it was further developed and manufactured by Fiat Ferroviaria, which was taken over by Alstom in 2000.
The idea of a tilting train became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, when various rail operators, impressed by the high-speed rail services being introduced in France and Japan, wondered how they could similarly speed up travel without building a dedicated parallel rail network (as those two countries were doing). By tilting, the train could go around curves designed for slower trains at higher speeds without causing undue discomfort to passengers.
- ^ "Viimeinen Allegro-juna saapui Helsinkiin – Suomen ja Venäjän välinen junaliikenne on lakannut toistaiseksi kokonaan". News. 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2023-12-15.