The ETR 460 is an

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

(EMU) tilting train produced by FIAT Ferroviaria (now

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

Ferroviaria) since 1993. It is also known as the

Pendolino Pendolino (from Italian language, Italian "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, ...

after the family of trains from which it comes. The ETR 460 is a development of the

ETR 450 ETR 450 (''ElettroTrenoRapido 450'') was the first series Italy, Italian tilting train (also called Pendolino). History The Pendolino project was started in the 1970s by FIAT Ferroviaria. Development included a number of prototypes, the last of ...

, a Pendolino EMU developed in the 1970s, being characterized by improved layout, electrical and electronic systems, and improved comfort. Maximum speed remains unchanged at . The ETR 460 spawned two similar types of Pendolinos: the ETR 470 and the ETR 480. The main difference between the versions is that the 460 runs only on 3 kV DC, the 470 on 3 kV DC and 15 kV AC, and the 480 on 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC (used on new high-speed railways in Italy). Three sets were modified to be capable of additionally running on 1.5 kV DC for use on Milan-

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

services, but have been all re-converted to the ETR 460 standard and renamed ETR 463. The British Class 390, the Slovenian series 310, the Portuguese Alfa Pendular, the Finnish Sm3 and the Spanish Alaris series were all derived from the ETR 460. The trainset, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, is used by

Trenitalia Trenitalia Società per azioni, SpA is the primary train operator of Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government. It was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulati ...

for their Frecciabianca service on several routes across Italy. The trainset has the ability to tilt by up to 8° when taking corners so as to reduce the effect of

centrifugal force Centrifugal force is a fictitious force in Newtonian mechanics (also called an "inertial" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference. It appears to be directed radially away from the axi ...

on the passengers. The passengers remain comfortable even if the train fully takes advantage of the characteristics of the track thanks to the lightness of the construction (only / axle). Use of the train does not demand particular modifications to the railroad but it is expensive in terms of maintenance of the rolling stock due to the complexity of the tilting system. The

hydraulic Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

tilting system it is governed by two

gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...

s located in the lead cars. The curve is found on the base of the elevation of the external track. ETR 460s are provided with 12 three-phase asynchronous motors (compared to the 16 in the ETR 450) located in all cars, in order to improve cornering capability. The motors are controlled by GTO- VVVF inverters, with a total power of some 6 MW. Electric braking is of rheostatic type, with the possibility of energy recovery at some speeds while the mechanical braking system uses

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the #Calipers, calipers to squeeze pairs of #Brake pads, pads against a disc (sometimes called a rakerotor) to create friction. There are two basic types of brake pad friction mechanisms: abrasive f ...

s, commanded by an electro-pneumatic system called Wabcontrol. ETR 460s can carry up to 480 passengers. Configuration includes two head coaches, 6 intermediate passenger coaches and a bar - restaurant coach.

External links

ETR 460 & ETR 480 Photos
{{High-speed rail Pendolino High-speed trains of Italy ETR 460 Train-related introductions in 1993 Fiat Ferroviaria Passenger trains running at least at 250 km/h in commercial operations 3000 V DC multiple units

See also

External links