Hitachi Rail unveils new ETR1000 model, with sights set on European and global expansion
Latest model includes new generation control and monitoring system and power units, delivering a more efficient service and an updated and stylish layout.
Hitachi Rail has revealed the latest model of its ETR1000 train at a joint event with its partner Trenitalia at global rail exhibition, InnoTrans, in Berlin.
With 78 ETR1000's having entered service and a further 48 ordered for delivery, the iconic high-speed train has helped to transform rail travel in Italy, France and Spain, achieving almost 200 million km of service since its inception.
The latest ETR1000 benefits from a re-engineered traction motor and new power units, designed to deliver greater energy efficiency. Additionally, the train includes a new bogie and a new Train Control and Monitoring System developed with a full Hitachi Rail footprint.
The platform can benefit from Hitachi Rail's new HMAX suite, the all-in-one digital asset management platform. The HMAX suite uses AI-enhanced digital solutions to process data from the train's sensors and allow the operator to more accurately predict and optimise their services.
Complementing a new livery externally, the internal layout of the train has evolved too. The new model will include an updated Executive Class offer, with an increased number of seats and additional luggage space, while still maintaining the current high standard of executive services. All passengers will also be able to benefit from enhanced Wi-Fi and a new catering offer in the train's bistro, and a stylish interior design which has been refreshed with a modified set of colours and updated seats.
Based on its success in Europe, Hitachi Rail is also developing designs for an ETR1000 able to run in climates subject to more challenging weather conditions including higher temperatures and monsoons. With adaptions including modified heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and filters to prevent damage associated with dust and sand, Hitachi Rail believes the ETR1000 could operate in a range of other markets including the Middle East.
Commenting on the unveiling, Giuseppe Marino, CEO of Hitachi Rail, said: "We are proud to unveil the evolution of our ETR1000 train. Over the past nine years our high-speed technology has transformed how passengers travel in Italy, and more recently in France and Spain, achieving almost 200 million km of service – the equivalent of a staggering 5,000 journeys around the world."
The continued growth of high speed rail will be critical to meet European and global decarbonisation targets. In the markets where it operates, the ETR1000 has helped to significantly decarbonise its transportation sector by driving a modal shift away from planes and cars and towards lower emission rail. Notably, the ETR1000 is itself sustainable, with over 97.1% of its material recyclable at the end of its life cycle.
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