page_title: High-speed rail in the United Kingdom
section_title: Pendolino
hierarchical_section_title: High-speed rail in the United Kingdom / History / Pendolino
caption_attribution_description: English: Virgin West Coast Pendolino EMU 390054 arrives at Manchester Piccadilly with a service from London.
context_page_description: High-speed rail in the United Kingdom is provided on four upgraded railway lines running at top speeds of 125 mph and one purpose-built high-speed line reaching 186 mph.
  Trains currently travel at 125 mph on the East Coast Main Line, Great Western main line, Midland Main Line, parts of the Cross Country Route, and the West Coast Main Line. On the latter line, only tilting trains can reach this maximum speed due to the difficult track geometry.
  The 67-mile long HS1 line connects London to the Channel Tunnel, with international Eurostar services running from London St Pancras station to cities in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands at 186 mph. That line is also used by high-speed commuter services from Kent to the capital, operating at top speeds of 140 mph.
  Since 2019 construction has been ongoing on a major new purpose-built high-speed rail line, High Speed 2 which will link London with major cities in the North and the Midlands at 224 mph and reduce journey times to Scotland. Phase 1 of the project to Birmingham is due to open in 2026, with the line set to go as far as Manchester and Leeds by 2033.
context_section_description: In 2002, Virgin Trains introduced a new high-speed service on the West Coast Main Line with a fleet of 53 custom-designed Pendolino trains. The nine-car trains were constructed by Alstom and are equipped with a tilting mechanism developed by Fiat to enable them to run at high speeds on existing rail infrastructure, thus fulfilling the aims of the APT project some 30 years later.
  The Pendolinos were designed to run at 140 mph (225 km/h), but require in-cab signalling for high-speed operation. The 2004 West Coast Main Line modernisation programme, which was an upgrade to the infrastructure to allow faster line speeds,
  ran over budget, and plans were consequently scaled back. As with the introduction of the InterCity 225 in the 1980s, the lack of signalling upgrades resulted in the maximum line speed being restricted to 125 mph (201 km/h). Some members of the fleet were later lengthened to 11 carriages.
  The following table lists the speeds of the fastest trains operating in Great Britain in 2020 which are capable of a top speed of 125 mph or greater:
caption: A Class 390 Pendolino at Manchester Piccadilly. The Class 390 was designed for 140 mph (225 km/h), but is currently limited to 125 mph (201 km/h) due to a lack of cab signalling which is required by regulations for trains to be permitted to operate at more than 125 mph.
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