Over the weekend, Italian transport operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane hosted the inaugural journey of the V300ZEFIRO very high speed train, known as the Frecciarossa 1000 in Italy. The train ran from Italy's main financial hub of Milan to the nation's capital Rome. The new very high speed trains will start commercial service in June 2015.
Sergio Mattarella, president of Italian Republic, together with Graziano Del Rio, minister of Infrastructure and Transportation and Dario Franceschini, minister of Culture and Tourism, attended the event with several distinguished guests.
Lutz Bertling, president and chief operating officer, Bombardier Transportation, said, "Bombardier has become a strong dedicated long-term partner to the Italian market, we are very proud to have been part of this ambitious project. We value our partnership with Ferrovie dello Stato and thank them for allowing us to play such a key role in the evolution of Italian technological excellence."
Manufactured in partnership with AnsaldoBreda, the Frecciarossa 1000 is the newest member of the Bombardier Zefiro family of high-speed trains. With a top commercial speed of up to 360 km/h, the V300ZEFIRO very high speed train is the fastest train in Europe and its advanced, high acceleration delivers excellent travel times, even on winding routes. It is also fully interoperable, meaning passengers can cross European borders without changing trains. The V300ZEFIRO train can also be adapted for use on networks in many other non-European countries.
Bombardier Transportation, benefitting from the aeronautical experience of Bombardier Aerospace which lead to the streamlined shape and design of the train, was responsible for leading the project management, mechanical and engineering product development (including propulsion and TCMS), manufacturing bogies and propulsion, as well as testing, homologation and commissioning of the first five train sets.
In addition to this, Bombardier Transportation also won the 10-year contract to maintain Trenitalia's fleet of 50 V300ZEFIRO/Frecciarossa 1000 very high speed trains. One of the most important fleet maintenance contracts awarded in Italy in recent years, the contract will be executed in association with Bombardier's consortium partner AnsaldoBreda.
The V300ZEFIRO trains are produced locally in Italy. They offer an entirely comprehensive solution that combines high capacity, reliability, performance and style with extraordinary levels of efficiency, making it truly unique. Bombardier ECO4 technologies are included in the design making this iconic high speed train an extremely environmentally friendly transportation solution.
