THE Class 390 Pendolino trains were built by Alstom in Birmingham utilising Fiat tilt systems. Pendolino is Italian for tilting.

A total of 53 nine-car sets, costing £11m each, were built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004, and were introduced on the West Coast Main Line.

They have a top speed of 140mph, although limitations of the signalling systems restrict them to 125mph.

In September 2006, a Pendolino set a new speed record, completing the 401-mile length of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and London in three hours, 55 minutes, beating the four hours, 14 minutes record, set by the ill-fated Advanced Passenger Train.

The fleet was introduced into passenger services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly in mid-2002 to coincide with the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

The units incorporate a number of innovations, including a walk-in shop in place of the traditional buffet/restaurant car, and extensive passenger visual information systems.

The entire Pendolino fleet is allocated to the Alstom Manchester Traincare Centre at Longsight, where heavy maintenance is carried out. Lighter maintenance, cleaning and overnight stabling is undertaken at other centres including Polmadie in Glasgow.