VR Class Sm3

VR Class Sm3
An Sm3 at Helsinki Central railway station in VR's new green/white livery.
The interior of a CM class carriage.
Manufacturer	FIAT Ferroviaria, Rautaruukki-Transtech
Family name	Pendolino
Constructed	7x01–7x02: 1992–1994 7x03–7x10: 1997–2002 7x11–7x18: 2002–2006
Entered service	7x01–7x02: 1995 7x03–7x10: 2000–2002 7x11–7x18: 2004–2006
Number built	18 six-carriage units
Number in service	18 units
Fleet numbers	7x01–7x18
Capacity	309 seats
Operator(s)	VR Group
Specifications
Train length	158.90 m (521.3 ft)
Width	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height	3.73 m (12 ft 3 in)
Maximum speed	220 km/h (140 mph)
Weight	328 t (323 long tons; 362 short tons)
Axle load	14.3 t (14.1 long tons; 15.8 short tons)
Traction system	8 asynchronous three-phase AC traction motors
Power output	4,000 kW (5,400 hp)
Acceleration	0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) 57 s 0.50 m/s2 or 1.6 ft/s2) 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) 193 s 0.37 m/s2 or 1.2 ft/s2)
Deceleration	140–0 km/h (87–0 mph) 39 s (−1.01 m/s2 or −3.3 ft/s2 200–0 km/h (124–0 mph) 59 s (−0.94 m/s2 or −3.1 ft/s2)
UIC classification	(1A)(A1) – (1A)(A1) – 2′2′ + 2′2′ – (1A)(A1) – (1A)(A1)
Track gauge	1,524 mm (5 ft)

The Sm3 Pendolino (originally branded as Pendolino S220, and usually referred to simply as the Pendolino) is a class of high-speed body-tilting trains operated by VR Group. It is a member of the Pendolino train family; its design is based on the ETR 460. The first two trainsets were assembled in Finland by Rautaruukki-Transtech in the mid-1990s. The rest of the series of eighteen EMUs were built by FIAT Ferroviaria (later Alstom) between 2000 and 2006. The trains serve most of Finland's major cities such as Helsinki, Turku, Oulu and Joensuu with a maximum speed of 220 km/h (140 mph), although this speed is only attained between Kerava and Lahti. The train has a power output of 4,000 kW (5,400 hp) and weighs 328 tonnes (323 long tons; 362 short tons).

The Sm3 had a long prototype phase before the main series was ordered, with reliability issues being brought up by the press from time to time. Negative reporting continues to haunt the series' reputation. Reliability problems cannot be proven, as no statistics of specific train types are available. The train has not managed to cope with harsh Finnish weather conditions, and the time benefit of the tilting mechanism will not be taken into account in timetables of winter 2011–2012. Nevertheless, the Sm3 has also received positive feedback from passengers and has led to increased operating speeds on the Finnish rail network.

VR announced its 2 billion Finnish Mark Pendolino order on 7 February 1992, consisting of two firm orders and twenty-three options.ABB's X 2000 was considered in addition to the Italian train; the latter was chosen due to its lower price (70 million FIM per unit) and because it was already running. Only these two tilting trains were considered due to the twisting nature Finland's railway network. Thanks to its tilting mechanism, the Pendolino – unlike such other European high-speed trains like the TGV, Thalys, and AVE – does not need to run on specialised high-speed lines, which was important to VR; instead, it runs on existing lines, and was expected to surpass the speed attained by traditional trains by 35%. This has both beneficial and negative consequences. The trains cannot run at as high a speed as, for example, the TGV, due to the lines. However, the Pendolino can also run alongside normal non-tilting trains, allowing for greater use of the railway. Building trains that could ensure passenger comfort at high speed on these routes by tilting through the curves was seen as a much cheaper solution than reconstructing the railway network itself due to Finland's low population and long distances. The train was originally called the Sm200, but in May 1995 it was officially named Sm3 according to VR's nomenclature for multiple units.