Franco Beretta, President and Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Italy, said, “We are very pleased to continue our long-term collaboration with our customer Trenitalia with this new agreement for integrated logistics support services. This tailored contract will ensure continuous availability of consumable spare parts and repairable components for the ETR500 Frecciarossa fleet.” He continued, “I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Italy’s rail industry, especially our Bombardier employees, as they play their part in supporting our nation during these unprecedented times.”
The ETR500 trains are very high-speed electric multiple units and the fleet of 58 trains were manufactured by a consortium of Bombardier, Alstom, and AnsaldoBreda. The trains have been in service in Italy since the mid-1990s and they have been operating under Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa (red arrow) brand since 2008. With this new contract, Bombardier will provide around 120 different components to Trenitalia within a 48-hour delivery time, including new, repaired and overhauled items. The contract includes critical components such as traction cooling equipment and transformers.
Bombardier Transportation has approximately 700 employees in Italy located at its Vado Ligure production site, Rome signaling site and at service depots throughout the country, as well as a team based at the Rome Fiumicino Airport. Bombardier has extensive experience of delivering high-speed rail technology in Italy, most recently as a leading supplier to the V300ZEFIRO high speed trains, known in Italy as the Frecciarossa 1000, developed together with Hitachi Rail.
— From a Bombardier news release. April 30, 2020.
LOVE that paint scheme! Looks very reminiscent of La Bomba’s JetTrain. By the way, anybody know the current whereabouts of the prototype ( last seen at TTI in Pueblo, CO stored after its unsuccessful whirlwind tour of North America)?
MICHAEL – With the former Bombardier C-Series airplanes now the Airbus 220 and with the Bombardier rail unit trying to merge, I guess it’s back to snowmobiles.
I thought this was a very rosy article. And then at the bottom I read that it was a Bombardier news release. There is nothing rosy about Bombardier. On the Toronto Stock Exchange (TXS) it is just a penny stock now.
Oh dear! The “system” seems to have lost most of my post……Never mind Laurence’s post is more detailed than mine so I won’t repeat it.
Charles,Info from a 2010 issue of the Schweers & Wall Italian railway atlas.
Charles,These trains, specifically the Freccia Rossa–Red Arrows) serve a number of major routes through Italy. For instance, Milan-Florence-Rome; Rome-Naples; Venice-Florence to name a few. Three are limited intermediate stops, though all stops, at least those I have used, are in terminals that also serve “normal” services. There are, however, specific RsOW that are employed, with connections to terminals happening within a few miles of these stops. In many places, these RsOW are within a hundred feet of each other. In other places, such as Florence-Rome, much of the ROW is underground or on viaducts. Additionally, there are two other “Freccia” services, Freccia Argento (Silver Arrow) and Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) that provide more routes and more stops, while also providing much faster travel times than ICE trains or regional trains. Just as an example, A Freccia Rossa train from Rome to Florence has a 1 hr 33 min. travel time. A regional train with the same endpoint stations, requires 3 hr 40 min. I hope this is helpful.
I wish Amtrak had drawn a contract with Bombardier Transportation for the next generation of Acela Express. The highly successful and better styled Zefiro 380 would have made a great successor to the current Acela Express fleet. This train has the maximum speed of 236 mph (380 kph) although the proposed maximum speed on the Northeast Corridor is 160 mph.
Does it really matter Charles? It’s better than anything the United States of America has.
ANYONE – What are routes served? Do these routes include conventional rail at terminals or is it all dedicated ROW?
I have had the opportunity to ride these trains numerous times, and they are quite fabulous. I always enjoy watching the in-car info screens that show the train’s speed, often hitting nearly 300 kph (approx. 185 mph)
Obviously, Mr Reiter, it mattered to Mr. Landey. Otherwise, why would he ask the question? Do you have a problem, with his question?