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Allegro (train)

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Karelian Trains Class Sm6
Sm6 unit in Helsinki Central station
In service2010–
ManufacturerAlstom
Built atSavigliano
Family namePendolino
Constructed2009–2011
Entered service2010
Number built4
Number in service4
Formation7 cars
Capacity337 + 2 disabled access
+ 38 in restaurant
OperatorsVR Group, Russian Railways
Lines servedHelsinki – St. Petersburg
Specifications
Train length184.80 m (606 ft 4 in)
Car length25.00 m (82 ft 0 in)
27.20 m (89 ft 3 in)
Width3,200 mm (10 ft 6 in)
Height4,270 mm (14 ft 0 in)
Floor height1,270 mm (4 ft 2 in)
Platform height550 mm (21.7 in)
1,100 mm (43.3 in)
Doors12+12
Maximum speed220 km/h (140 mph)
Power output5,500 kW (7,400 hp)
Power supply(?)
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC
3 kV DC catenary
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Track gaugeRussian track:
1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Finnish track:
1,524 mm (5 ft)
Wheelsets:
1,522 mm (59.92 in)[1]

Allegro is a high-speed train service between Helsinki, Finland, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The service started on 12 December 2010.[2][3] The aim is to reduce travel time between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg: before Allegro, the journey time was 5½ hours; currently it is 3 hours and 36 minutes[4] and there are plans to bring it down to 3 hours.[5] The name Allegro is a musical term for a quick tempo, thereby suggesting "high speed".

Route

Allegro connects the following stations:[6]

Vainikkala (on the Finnish side of the border) and Vyborg are special stations: on trains bound for Finland, passengers are not allowed to leave the train at Vyborg, as the train only stops to pick up passengers; and on trains bound for Russia, passengers are not allowed to leave the train at Vainikkala, for the same reason.

Allegro train ticket from St. Petersburg to Helsinki.

Passport and custom controls

Russian passport stamp obtained while travelling on the Allegro

On board the train, each passenger is visited by Finnish passport control and customs officers, as well as their Russian counterparts.

Finnish border control takes place while the train is travelling between Kouvola and Vainikkala, while Russian border control takes place while the train is travelling between Vyborg and St Petersburg. If boarding/exiting at Vainikkala or Vyborg, the checks take place inside these stations.

Vehicles

Driver's cabin

The Allegro service is operated using Class Sm6 trainsets built by Alstom. Sm6 stands for electric multiple unit (Template:Lang-fi, literally 'electric motor train') model 6.

The Sm6 appears similar to VR's earlier Sm3 Pendolino series, but is based on the fourth generation[7] 'Pendolino Nuovo' or 'New Pendolino' designs and its construction differs from the Sm3 in many ways.[1]

The top speed of the train in passenger traffic is 220 km/h (140 mph) and the train can run at a speed of at least 200 km/h (120 mph) between Tikkurila and Luumäki and Vyborg and St. Petersburg after extensive rail works.[7] The aim is to reduce travel time between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg from 5½ hours to 3 hours.[5] The travel time as of 2012 was 3:36.[4]

The Sm6 is equipped to operate on both the Finnish and the Russian railway networks. The units have dual-voltage electrical equipment able to use both the Finnish 25 kV 50 Hz alternating current and the Russian 3 kV direct current electrification. The wheelsets are built to run at over 200 km/h (120 mph) speeds on both the Finnish 1,524 mm (5 ft) and the nominally slightly narrower Russian 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) gauge, and the doors are equipped with a retractable step to make boarding from both Finnish 550 mm (21.7 in) high and Russian 1,100 mm (43.3 in) high platforms easy. The units are equipped for both the Finnish and Russian railway technical systems, which differ substantially.[8]

  • First class coach
    First class coach
  • Second class coach
    Second class coach

On board services

  • Food: there is a restaurant coach, which serves food during the whole journey, except for the segment between Vyborg and Vainikkala, when the train is in customs surveillance zone.
  • Currency exchange: there is an agent walking constantly back and forth on the train offering currency exchange services.
  • Children's area: there is an area where small children can play.
  • Restaurant coach
    Restaurant coach
  • Children's area
    Children's area

Russian-Finnish cooperation

The trains are owned by Karelian Trains, a 50–50 joint venture between VR Group (Finnish Railways) and Russian Railways (RZD).[2] The trains are able to run on both Finnish and Russian tracks.

On board the inaugural service were Finnish president Tarja Halonen and Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Allegro high speed Pendolino train presented at Finland station in Saint Petersburg". Alstom. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Allegro launch cuts Helsinki – St Petersburg journey times". Railway Gazette International. London. 13 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Allegro". VR. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Timetables". VR Group. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b "News". Karelian Trains. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  6. ^ Timetables - VR Archived June 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b Salo, Sakari K (2011). "Helsingin–Pietarin liikenteen kehityksestä allegro". Resiina (in Finnish) (1). Museorautatieyhdistys ry, Suomen Rautatiehistoriallinen Seura ry: 24–36. ISSN 0356-0600. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ "2000-luvun tekniikalla kohti Pietaria" (PDF). Rautatietekniikka (in Finnish). 22 (2). Rautatiealan Teknisten Liitto RTL ry: 10–12. 2010. ISSN 1237-1513. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Putin joins Halonen on first run of high-speed Allegro train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg". Helsingin Sanomat International edition. Helsinki. December 2010.

Media related to Karelian Trains Class Sm6 at Wikimedia Commons

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