TRENITALIA (FS GROUP) EXPANDS ITS FRECCIAROSSA FLEET: 74 NEW-GENERATION TRAINS BY 2031
Additional contract worth €260 million for nine new trains signed with Hitachi Rail.
www.hitachirail.com
Trenitalia's (FS Italiane Group) plan to renew its high-speed fleet continues, by signing a new contract with Hitachi Rail for the manufacture and supply of nine new-generation Frecciarossa trains.
The contract, worth approximately EUR 260 million, complements a previous agreement signed in 2023 concerning the supply of 36 trains, alongside 10 additional trains added following an off-take option.
The investment is part of the Frecciarossa fleet renewal programme, as set out in FS Group's Strategic Plan, and is aimed at offering an increasingly modern, innovative and sustainable service. From 2029, when two additional deliveries are expected, there will be 57 new trains in service, with plans to increase the total number to 74 by 2031.
Latest-generation Frecciarossa trains are manufactured by Hitachi Rail at its Italian plants in Naples and Pistoia. Designed to operate in Italy and beyond, in seven European rail networks, they are a trademark of Italian technological and stylistic excellence in high-speed rail, offering the highest levels of performance, comfort and reliability, with PRM-accessible spaces.
They can reach a top speed of 300 kilometres per hour, with a certified maximum limit of 360, and are equipped with advanced traction systems for improved efficiency.
In terms of environmental performance, they hold a 97.1% recyclability rate and a 98.2% material recovery rate, also thanks to their newly designed electric motors. The new trains, while retaining the current exterior design and livery, introduce new elements in the interiors - by Giugiaro Design - and on-board instruments, in the sign of Made-in-Italy style.
Furthermore, the platforms introduce Hitachi Rail's HMAX for Rail digital suite, a digital asset management system that enables real-time data processing to optimise traffic, maintenance and energy consumption in rail transport - a new frontier in rail transport digitisation.
"With this investment, Trenitalia takes a further step to strengthen its High-Speed fleet, consolidating Frecciarossa's position as a benchmark for rail transport in Europe - said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Trenitalia - "Our trains are becoming more efficient and more sustainable, to meet our passengers' expectations. And we will continue to invest in this direction, both in Italy and on international markets, to build an increasingly modern, integrated and future-oriented transport system."
"This new contract confirms and solidifies the long-standing partnership between Hitachi Rail and Trenitalia, along a journey that, over the years, has revolutionised the travel habits of people in Italy and across Europe - commented Luca D'Aquila, COO of Hitachi Rail Group and President of Hitachi Rail in Italy - "This latest-generation model was designed to offer an enhanced travel experience to passengers, ensuring greater comfort with a reduced environmental impact. This train looks to Europe's future, towards an increasingly integrated high-speed rail network."
With this new agreement, Trenitalia and Hitachi Rail reaffirm their commitment to developing increasingly modern, sustainable and competitive rail transport units, in a rush to reshape the standards of high-speed rail transport in Italy and across Europe.
www.hitachirail.com
