Fast Pendolino run from London to Coventry

[Wapps]

Hi

I’m new here but wanted to post a question.

I travelled by pendolino from Euston to Coventry today. It was scheduled to take 59 mins but it was 55 mins. We had one stop at MK.

During the journey I thought we were moving along at pace and so I put my speedometer on (on my phone). Ok, it’s not the most accurate, but mostly it hovered around 121-125, so reasonably accurate. But there were some times where I felt we were going particularly fast and it registered over 125 and ultimately went up to 141 (the speedometer marked that as our top speed).

Is this possible or just an unreliable speedometer? I thought the train was speed restricted, but the fact that we were early into Coventry (despite a snail slow approach into Coventry) got me wondering whether there may have been a derogation to run faster during the quieter period (testing or something).

Interested to know what folks think.

Btw - I asked the man at the shop and he said that the first refurbed pendolino won’t be till March next year now, because of covid. The pendos sure do need a refurb!

Thanks

 

[driver9000]

TASS prevents Pendolinos going above 128mph. Without in cab signalling they are restricted to 125mph. Early arrivals are easily made due to the reduced traffic currently out on the railway at the moment, I can reach some stations on my patch up to 10 minutes early without pushing it.

 

[_toommm_]

The railway is currently a lot quieter than it was pre-COVID, so what was previously a very congested part of the railway, is much less so now. Any pathing time that would previously be in place to navigate a PEndolino around a freight service or a stopping passenger service, is now no longer needed, meaning a service is more likely to reach intermediate stops and its destination earlier than normal.

GPS speedos are okay for a rough guide, but they certainly wouldn't be going 140mph anyway on the railway network where they shouldn't do. I'm sure they wouldn't last long in their job these days if they did...

 

[Wapps]

Ok, thank you. I’ll put it down to a shoddy speedometer app.

I enjoyed the thought of running at 140 anyway

 

[paddy1]

Even pre-covid when traffic was much busier, Iv'e often done a Euston to Coventry one stop Pendo in several minutes below the scheduled 59 minute journey time. The same applies to Euston to Stafford, Crewe, Stoke, Warrington non stop Pendo run where arrival has often been achieved several minutes before the scheduled 76, 90, 84, 104 minutes (respectively) journey time.

 

[notadriver]

Phone speedo apps aren’t very good (not as good as professional equipment with dedicated Gps satellite receivers) and some rolling stock such may have a reflective coating which blocks or hinders gps satellite reception.

 

[Jamesrob637]

If my car shows 140 on the speedo it will be low-mid 130s in reality. Not that I'd achieve such speeds over here!

 

[notadriver]

I would bet the speedo in a pendo is more accurate than a car Speedo.

 

[hexagon789]

I would bet the speedo in a pendo is more accurate than a car Speedo.

I think that would apply to any train operating on Network Rail metals. Some might under-read a bit but I would bet the accuracy is still much better by comparison

 

[notadriver]

I think that would apply to any train operating on Network Rail metals. Some might under-read a bit but I would bet the accuracy is still much better by comparison

Except steam lol

 

[hexagon789]

Except steam lol

Well, it's all relative. A BR Smith's speedo from the 1950s might not be especially accurate in modern terms but say a Flanman's speed recorder from the 1930s I'd expect to be more accurate.

 

[Bevan Price]

Even dedicated GPS units give "dodgy" / "fluctuating" speed measrements inside Pendolinos. The signal seems to temporarily get lost, especially if there are cuttings, bridges, lots of trees, etc. Then the signal is regained, and the GPS tries to catch up with the "missing bit" and overestimates the speed.

 

[Bald Rick]

I’ve done Euston to Coventry in 59 minutes with an 86 and MkIIs...

Getting back to the here and now, it is a fairly regular occurrence for the Watford call train to do Watford to Coventry in 40 minutes. Add on the booked 14 mins for a train departing Euston to departing Watford, and it’s doable in 54 mins without troubling the speed limiter.

 

[I13]

The fastest I've done Milton Keynes to Coventry is 24m3.
I consider the 25 minute range a good day, but usually the Nuneaton-Leamington service gets in the way (often a combination of the Avanti being early and the Leamington being slightly late).