Press release -
Rock: the New Trenitalia Regional Train leaves Hitachi Rail factory of Pistoia
Rock: the New Trenitalia Regional Train leaves Hitachi Rail factory of Pistoia
- The first train begins technical tests for homologation
- Commercial service is due to start in spring 2019
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First deliveries: 39 trains to Emilia–Romagna, 47 to Veneto, 28 to Liguria, 4 to Tuscany
Pistoia, 18th April 2018
Rock, the new regional train of Trenitalia, manufactured by Hitachi Rail Italy, is ready! It will soon start testing on rail.
The first double deck five-car train, chosen by the Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane) for commuter services in Italy, left the factory today.
The new Rock train, entirely made in Italy, was first introduced to the public with a roadshow by Trenitalia called #lamusicastacambiando. Real size models (1:1) of the new regional train have been exhibited in the most famous Italian squares. After Bologna, Turin, Florence, Genoa, Rome and Verona, the next stops will be Palermo, Bari and Reggio Calabria. An opportunity for citizens and commuters to get familiar with the technical and technological characteristics of this new trains that will dramatically improve the travel experience of passengers.
The event, attended by Renato Mazzoncini CEO of FS Italiane Group and Orazio Iacono CEO of Trenitalia, together with representatives of regional and local institutions, will be hosted by Maurizio Manfellotto, CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy, and Giuseppe Marino, Group COO Rolling Stock of Hitachi Rail.
“With an investment plan worth 4.5 billion euro for new trains we are changing the life of Italian commuters “said Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of FS Italiane Group, and Rock is the backbone of this huge industrial operation, unprecedented in Italy for value and number of trains involved. We want to improve the collective integrated mobility in this country. Rock is a wonderful train that will be employed in every Italian region were Trenitalia has been awarded and already signed service contracts for regional transport, such as Emilia-Romagna, or is going to sign in a few months, such as Liguria and Veneto. Within 2023 we want to renew 75% of the Trenitalia regional fleet and halve the average age of trains from the present 20.3 years to 10.6 in 2024.”
The manufacturing of the new Rock proceeded rapidly and today the first train is leaving the factory. A dream has come true. An important step, says Orazio Iacono, CEO of Trenitalia, towards a goal we have clear in mind: offer comfortable, clean, safe trains, with improved on board information systems, at the same level as in high speed. We wanted Rock to be designed based on the commuter’s requirements, and also those of Trenitalia on-board crews. More comfortable and sustainable trains, also accessible to people with reduced mobility or with disabilities. The great acceleration of the new train will improve punctuality. The new trains will start service from spring 2019 on the network of Emilia Romagna (39) followed by Veneto (47) Liguria (28) and Tuscany (4)”.
“We are proudly showing you today, fully complying with contractual schedule, the first Rock now leaving for Velim, to carry out homologation tests”says Maurizio Manfellotto, CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy. For Hitachi Rail, Rock is much more than a train, it is a project. This result, achieved working closely with our customer, will introduce the same transformation in regional transport that Frecciarossa1000 represented in high speed.”
Rock, says Giuseppe Marino, Group COO Rolling Stock of Hitachi Rail, represents our business and our factories. We combine the best technologies from the whole Group and manufacture our trains in state-of-the-art factories to deliver always the best time to market and high quality reliable products to our customers, while pursuing solutions with the least impact on the environment. This train is now leaving the factory of Pistoia, but it also belongs to the other Hitachi Rail plants both in Italy, Naples and Reggio Calabria, and in the world, all of which contribute to develop this project with their respective competencies”.
Rock is the new regional train that Hitachi Rail is manufacturing for Trenitalia within the framework agreement worth approximately 3 billion euro, signed on 3rd August 2016, for the supply of up to 300 high capacity EMUs in 4, 5 or 6-car formations for regional transport.
Rock marks a significant evolution, in terms of technology, performances and comfort, of the double deck high capacity trains circulating in Italy. A new concept of commuter train for reliability and performances, first of all an acceleration that can be compared to a metro train.
Rock is also best performer as environmental friendly train. Energy consumption is 30% less compared to similar trains on the market, and the choice of materials is made to ensure over 95% of recyclability. Thanks to these characteristics the new Rock trains by Trenitalia were admitted to the system “White Certificates”, to support investments in high energy efficiency. The purchase of the new regional trains was partly financed by FS Italiane with the Green Bond worth 600 million euro, issued for the first time in Europe in November 2017.
