Tilting towards the future
THE go-ahead has been granted for the tilting Pendolino train service which will slash journey times between Crewe and London.
Aspect Assessment, the independent safety assessor to the HM Railway Inspectorate, has given full safety clearance for the Virgin train to operate on West Coast main line.
The 125mph Pendolino services will begin to operate in September 2004. An hourly Crewe to London Euston service will have a journey time of one hour 46 minutes which is 20 minutes faster than the current time.
Aspect Assessment is responsible for all safety considerations on the software that operates the tilting train system. This ensures the train is unable to tilt under dangerous conditions.
The official clearance confirms the Pendolino's TASS system meets stringent EU and UK operational safety standards.
A Virgin spokesman said: 'The safety clearance is really good news. It allows us to begin driver training at higher speeds and with tilting, in preparation for the start of passenger services at 125mph beginning in September 2004.
'This will cut journey times by an average of 20%. Commuters in Crewe will be seeing more Pendolinos being introduced over the coming months.'