One of the most successful trains in service is the Alstom-built Class 390 Pendolino, which has monopolised West Coast Main Line express services for almost two decades. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into the history of this ground-breaking design.
Above: On June 17 2021 a new attempt was made to break the record for a non-stop run between London Euston and Glasgow with 390004 Royal Scot. Here theClass 390 speeds through Lichfield Trent Valley as 1Z57, the 10.36am London Euston-Glasgow – it missed out on the record by 21 seconds. John Whitehouse.
Privatisation of the railways brought with it a large number of changes, some good and some not so good, but one route which was to see significant improvements as a result of this process was the West Coast Main Line (WCML). In the late 1990s, services there were operated by conventional electric locomotives and hauled stock, much of which was beginning to show its age, and with performance unable to compete with the airlines for Anglo-Scottish passengers.
Virgin Trains won the franchise to operate the route and it made ambitious promises for service improvements which would include better trains, speeded up timetables and better service frequency.
To achieve this, substantial investment in…
