Pendolino set to be Biggest Selling Train Model for a Third Year Running

LONDON -

- With Photo

The popularity of Virgin’s Pendolino trains means they are set to be Hornby’s biggest-selling train model for a third year running. The popularity of the model version of the Pendolino is mirrored by the fact that thousands of passengers have already bought tickets for travel on Virgin Trains services over the festive period.

Virgin Trains is urging all customers to book early for Christmas and New Year travel and tickets have been on sale since early October allowing many customers to already have obtained seats on the trains of their choice at the cheapest rates. Restrictions on Off Peak tickets will be lifted from 24 December 2009 to 3 January 2010 inclusive while Advance tickets are currently on sale for all travel days during the holiday period.

Full details of train times at Christmas and New Year are now available on nationalrail.co.uk while tickets and seats can be booked on virgintrains.com or by calling +44(0)8457-222-333.

On a smaller level thousands of scale models of the Pendolino train have already been bought and are ready to be wrapped as Christmas presents. Made by model manufacturer Hornby, the Pendolino train set is already one of Hornby’s best selling train model this year, a record that it is expected to retain for Christmas 2009 sales.

Virgin’s fleet of 52 Pendolino tilting trains, built and maintained by Alstom, have already covered over a million miles each and the first trains are now hitting the million-and-a-half mile marker. The entire fleet has travelled over 72 million miles and is expected to travel around 16 million miles a year - that’s over 30 return trips to the moon!.

The ‘real’ Pendolino features at seat service in First Class of hot and cold drinks and light refreshments, including a typically British breakfast. Improvements have been made to enhance mobile phone reception and onboard WiFi is now available. Power points at most seats allow charging of laptop computers and mobile phones and an audio entertainment system operates throughout the train. A walk-in shop is also provided and regenerative braking captures the energy from brake applications and puts electricity back into the electricity supply system.

Hornby’s Pendolino takes railway models to new levels. This stunning four car Pendolino pack is representative of Virgin Trains latest state of the art passenger train. The new Hornby 4 car model is ready to use straight out of the box. Designed to capture the real essence and style of its full size counterpart, the Pendolino certainly can show off its accurate tilting mechanism especially when the train travels at speed around bends. Each Power Car unit is fitted with directional lights plus a Hornby Digital decoder so that the lights can be switched on and off even when the train is in motion! Additional Pendolino coaches are available so that a full-length train can be created.

Chris Gibb, Virgin Trains Chief Operating Officer said: “We are pleased that record numbers of passengers have already bought tickets for travel on our Pendolino train services over the festive period. Many have been attracted by our lower priced Advance fares, such as London to Birmingham single from GBP8. These are not just Festive offers, and tickets at this price are already on sale for travel through until mid-January, with more dates added each week.

“It is also pleasing that in homes around the UK, and possibly abroad, the Pendolino train will be running and delighting many thousands of children, and adults, on Christmas Day when our fleet of full sized trains will be taking a well earned break.”

Simon Kohler, Hornby’s Railways Group Marketing Manager said: “Virgin’s Pendolino has become the iconic image of high speed trains in the UK and we are pleased that we have been able to include it in our range of railway models. It is one of our most popular train sets and we are sure that the Pendolino will make it a happy Christmas for thousands of people.”

Notes to Editors

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available in the Image Library on our online Media Room website mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk

You can subscribe to receive alerts to new press releases by visiting mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous industry awards. In 2009 the company was awarded the Globe Travel Awards 2009 ‘Best Rail Operator’ Category as voted by Evening Standard readers; voted Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveller magazine for the second year running; and named Best Rail Operator in the 2009 Group Leisure Awards, run by Group Leisure, the magazine for group travel organisers.

The popularity and intensive use of the Pendolino trains means that they will each clock up a million miles in around half the time trains took a decade ago. In providing a 24/7 maintenance regime for the Pendolino fleet, Alstom ensures that the trains can meet their demanding schedule every day.

The state-of-the-art 125mph Pendolino trains also save energy and reducing pollution as they return energy to the electrical feeder stations every time they brake. The 52 tilting trains, designed, built and maintained by Alstom, are fitted with electronic control systems that cause the traction motors to provide braking effort by generating electricity back into the supply system.

Regenerative braking used on the Pendolino trains also reduces the use of the friction brakes, dramatically reducing brake-pad dust and pollution, to provide a double environmental benefit.

Virgin Trains also has 21 Super Voyager diesel trains, built by Bombardier, which operate alongside the Pendolino fleet, normally on services from London to Chester and North Wales and between Birmingham and Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Pictures accompanying this release are available through the PA Photowire. They can be downloaded from www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at www.mediapoint.press.net or www.prnewswire.co.uk.

Source: Virgin Trains

For further media information contact the Virgin Trains Press Office on +44(0)845-000-3333 or visit our Media Room website at https://mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk or Hornby Hobbies Limited +44(0)1843-233500 or simon.kohler at hornby.com. Photographs are available to illustrate this Press Release. Please contact the Virgin Trains Press Office on +44(0)845-000-3333.