Class 390 Pendolino - why does it create motion sickness?

[Scotrail12]

Travelled from Glasgow to London today to spend the weekend. Been off the train for 10 hours now and I am still not feeling right, almost feel as if I'm on a roller coaster. For the majority of today's journey, I was really suffering from motion sickness. I couldn't even drink water without feeling queasy.

I've travelled a lot by train, especially in Scotland and have never felt any motion sickness. Its only ever happened when I'm on a Pendolino. Never once on a 334, 318, 320, 156, 385, 380 or any of the trains I've used in the USA & Europe.

I did not expect it to be this bad, I'm actually considering cancelling my ticket home on Monday and booking a flight back as I still feel disorientated.

What about these trains may have caused me to feel so bad?

 

[Halish Railway]

It may be the same explanation as the APT - Wikipedia (the very reliable source of information) states “On APT, one could easily see the tilting as the train entered turns, but there was no perception of this motion. The end result was the same, a confusion between the visual and the equilibrioception system (aka sense of balance)”.

 

[Jamesrob637]

You clearly didn't use one of these during your European train travels!

DBAG Class 612 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[cambsy]

You felt queasy, because they tilt, which is the train actively leaning into the curves of the West Coast Mainline, the train does this, so it can go round then curves faster, with out discomfort for passengers, and drinks starting to fly off tables etc.

The tilting causes the carriage to bank a lot, move up and down. which means one minute your seeing ground etc, then next your seeing sky etc, which causes your eyes and what your body feels, to not match, so you can feel queasy, most people are fine with the motion, but if your susceptible to motion sickness it can make one feel queasy, the APT was wall known for causing motion sickness, because it compensated too much for the curves, leaving one feeling nothing of the motion of curving, the Pendolino doesn’t cause it so badly, because it doesn’t tilt so much. 9 degrees, so you feel more motion, after Few trips you should start to feel less queasy, if not, maybe try sea sick tablets, I personally enjoy tilting, but i dont get seasick, hope you try Pendolino again, as its a good train.

 

[Liverpool 507]

Travelled from Glasgow to London today to spend the weekend. Been off the train for 10 hours now and I am still not feeling right, almost feel as if I'm on a roller coaster. For the majority of today's journey, I was really suffering from motion sickness. I couldn't even drink water without feeling queasy.

I've travelled a lot by train, especially in Scotland and have never felt any motion sickness. Its only ever happened when I'm on a Pendolino. Never once on a 334, 318, 320, 156, 385, 380 or any of the trains I've used in the USA & Europe.

I did not expect it to be this bad, I'm actually considering cancelling my ticket home on Monday and booking a flight back as I still feel disorientated.

What about these trains may have caused me to feel so bad?

Hopefully I’m not going off topic but according to Avanti’s social media team, ready salted crisps have been known to help relieve symptoms of travel sickness on Pendolinos and Super Voyagers

 

[Skie]

I’ve had them cause it in me a few times over a couple hundred journeys. It’s usually when I focus too much on a laptop or movie and dont spend enough time glancing out of the window to give my brain a chance to gets its bearings. Ginger helps, as does just sitting comfortably and looking forward with the outside in your peripheral vision on one side.

As a kid, if I ever read read a book in a car I’d guarantee myself violent motion sickness.

 

[43 302]

Travelled from Glasgow to London today to spend the weekend. Been off the train for 10 hours now and I am still not feeling right, almost feel as if I'm on a roller coaster. For the majority of today's journey, I was really suffering from motion sickness. I couldn't even drink water without feeling queasy.

I've travelled a lot by train, especially in Scotland and have never felt any motion sickness. Its only ever happened when I'm on a Pendolino. Never once on a 334, 318, 320, 156, 385, 380 or any of the trains I've used in the USA & Europe.

I did not expect it to be this bad, I'm actually considering cancelling my ticket home on Monday and booking a flight back as I still feel disorientated.

What about these trains may have caused me to feel so bad?

If you do end up avoiding a Pendolino, you could always take the sleeper rich doesnt tilt or the East coast route which is much straighter and doesn't tilt either. Much better than flying.

 

[hexagon789]

You felt queasy, because they tilt, which is the train actively leaning into the curves of the West Coast Mainline, the train does this, so it can go round then curves faster, with out discomfort for passengers, and drinks starting to fly off tables etc.

The tilting causes the carriage to bank a lot, move up and down. which means one minute your seeing ground etc, then next your seeing sky etc, which causes your eyes and what your body feels, to not match, so you can feel queasy, most people are fine with the motion, but if your susceptible to motion sickness it can make one feel queasy, the APT was wall known for causing motion sickness, because it compensated too much for the curves, leaving one feeling nothing of the motion of curving, the Pendolino doesn’t cause it so badly, because it doesn’t tilt so much. 9 degrees, so you feel more motion, after Few trips you should start to feel less queasy, if not, maybe try sea sick tablets, I personally enjoy tilting, but i dont get seasick, hope you try Pendolino again, as its a good train.

I can tilt 9 degrees but I believe the service tilt is only 8 degrees. APT tilted the full 9 in service and that coupled with the means in which each car knew when tilt and crucially when in a curve it actually tilted led to the well-known motion sickness issues. It's worth nothing the engineers did sort that issue by allowing for some of the forces encountered in a curve to be felt by passengers rather than aiming to cancel them out entirely. They did this by reducing the amount of tilt and having the train tilt as it went into the curve rather than just before.

 

[Fleetwood Boy]

I’m sure I read somewhere on here (so must be right) that you’re more likely to feel ill in the leading carriage? That’s certainly true for me - I’ve only felt sick on one occasion on a Pendolino in recent years and it was in Coach A. Moved back to B, felt better.

 

[gordonthemoron]

You clearly didn't use one of these during your European train travels!

DBAG Class 612 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The tilt on that is far more noticeable than on a Pendolino

 

[route101]

Dont really notice the tilt on the pendolinos apart from Lamington bridge.

Only time i felt funny was at night . Id thought the train had stopped at a signal, when i looked out closer we were still moving.

 

[dk1]

Only really notice it when severely hung over. Worst experience was after a rather lively night in Blackpool then only available seats from Preston where facing backwards in a warm coach due to an air-con defect

 

[Bletchleyite]

Only really notice it when severely hung over. Worst experience was after a rather lively night in Blackpool then only available seats from Preston where facing backwards in a warm coach due to an air-con defect

I'd have stood near the bog, could be useful

What you really don't want with a hangover, though, is a National Express coach ride. I can assure you of that. Or for that matter a bumpy flight.

 

[hexagon789]

I’m sure I read somewhere on here (so must be right) that you’re more likely to feel ill in the leading carriage? That’s certainly true for me - I’ve only felt sick on one occasion on a Pendolino in recent years and it was in Coach A. Moved back to B, felt better.

Yes, this is because the leading car doesn't have one in front to "predict" it's tilt off of. Each subsequent vehicle tilts in relation to the one ahead, the front one meanwhile will simply tilt quite suddenly because it's the first to enter the curve.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, this is because the leading car doesn't have one in front to "predict" it's tilt off of. Each subsequent vehicle tilts in relation to the one ahead, the front one meanwhile will simply tilt quite suddenly because it's the first to enter the curve.

Indeed. Coach A is the only one that has ever made me feel queasy, though it doesn't any more (Coach K would if the staff ever let you sit there ). Anyone who does feel queasy on a Pendolino would be well advised to avoid it (and also to ensure they have a window view, same as at sea, as the brain gets less confused if it can see its orientation properly).

 

[hexagon789]

Indeed. Coach A is the only one that has ever made me feel queasy, though it doesn't any more (Coach K would if the staff ever let you sit there ). Anyone who does feel queasy on a Pendolino would be well advised to avoid it (and also to ensure they have a window view, same as at sea, as the brain gets less confused if it can see its orientation properly).

It also seems to affect push-pull trains, the DBSO on Anglia were supposed to be rather rough, move back to Coach B and no problems, I think part of it is just down to it being the leading vehicle - would be interesting to see of the principle applies with non-tilting MUs, I suspect not though because of the rigid couplings.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Of course, I would advise everyone to avoid Coach A so I can have seat 45, the best seat in Standard

(Extra legroom, subdued lighting, window aligned, luggage space opposite, nobody other than staff going past as there isn't a passenger door at that end)

 

[LOL The Irony]

Of course, I would advise everyone to avoid Coach A so I can have seat 45, the best seat in Standard

(Extra legroom, subdued lighting, window aligned, luggage space opposite, nobody other than staff going past as there isn't a passenger door at that end)

As long as Coach A is trailing

 

[Jayden99]

They make me brutally unwell at night when there isn't any reference outside the window. Back when I still lived in Glasgow I'd take a pendolino down during the day, but make the point of taking LNER home if it was late. Even now, when I go home to visit family, I try to avoid Avanti, because the Pendos make me ill and the Voyagers are, well, Voyagers

 

[RailWonderer]

I don't understand the Pendolino tilt sickness at all - even with a ton of caffeine in me I still enjoy coach A the most because it feels like it tilts most, although its only 7 degrees like the rest of the train. Try fairground rides to practice your resilience for motion sickness - or a diving vessel on the choppy Atlantic!

 

[colchesterken]

I love them particularly the bit near Bletchley where they do a double tilt switchback style
almost as good as the woddie roller coaster at Blackpool or Yarmouth ( no, nothing could be as good as them )

 

[route101]

Of course, I would advise everyone to avoid Coach A so I can have seat 45, the best seat in Standard

(Extra legroom, subdued lighting, window aligned, luggage space opposite, nobody other than staff going past as there isn't a passenger door at that end)

Do you usually have someone next to you in that seat?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do you usually have someone next to you in that seat?

Mostly not. Because people don't walk past it, it's not a well-known good one.

 

[XC90]

Never been bothered by the tilt, infact I love it, especially heading south over Lammington viaduct.

Travel on the East Coast LNER if you dont want to tilt. Cost you an extra hour though.