Hitachi Rail Italy has begun production of a new class of double-deck regional trains at its factory in Pistoia.
Hitachi, Alstom and Stadler were awarded contracts amounting to €4.5 billion in June last year to supply 450 new trains for Italy’s state-owned rail operator, Trenitalia.
Hitachi Rail Italy is building up to 300 new double-deck EMUs as part of that contract and today opened the production line.
A full-scale mockup was unveiled in Pistoia by Renato Mazzoncini, chief executive of FS Italiane; Tiziano Onesti, chairman of Trenitalia; Barbara Morgante, chief executive of Trenitalia; and Maurizio Manfellotto, chief executive of Hitachi Rail Italy.
The EMUs will have a total capacity for up to 656 passengers and a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. Trenitalia has nicknamed the new vehicles Rock trains, continuing its trend of naming trains after musical genres.
Images and graphics courtesy of Italian State Railways
