Hitachi Rail and Bombardier have announced that they have signed a contract with Trenitalia to supply 23 Frecciarossa 100 very-high-speed trains (VHST) for the new Intermodalidad de Levante.
Intermodalidad de Levante is a joint venture by Trenitalia and Operador Ferroviario de Levante SL, and the contract is worth around £723m.
“The ETR1000 train, widely known commercially as the Frecciarossa 1000, has transformed passenger transport on high-speed lines in Italy, setting the standard and becoming the fastest and most admired train in Europe. It is a platform that we are very proud of and is proof of our continuous and positive collaboration with Trenitalia to the benefit of passengers and society in terms of comfort, sustainability, style, performance and low noise. We look forward to bringing the same advantages to Spain, and to contribute to the development program of high-speed railway services in this country with these new services,” said Andrew Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail.
“The Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed train has been chosen for the new ILSA franchise in Spain to enrich the travel experience for passengers, thanks to its high levels of comfort and reliability. With cutting-edge train control and propulsion technologies deriving from the V300ZEFIRO platform, these fast and quiet trains are already very popular with long-distance travellers in Italy. The liberalization of Europe's railways enables ILSA to offer new rail services in Spain to encourage even more passengers to shift their journeys from cars and planes to trains, contributing towards global sustainability goals,” added Franco Beretta, President and Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Italy.
“Working together with Bombardier as trusted partners of Trenitalia for this new international project, renews and recognizes our valued experience in the high-speed rail sector. For Hitachi, a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions, this is a further confirmation of our capability to contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products that deliver sustainable mobility,” commented Christian Andi, Executive Officer, Region EMEA, Hitachi Rail Group.
“We are delighted that Trenitalia has put its confidence in Bombardier and Hitachi once again with this order for 23 trains based on Bombardier's V300ZEFIRO platform. This innovative, super-fast train is already extremely popular with passengers in Italy and we're looking forward to bringing this outstanding high-speed travel experience to millions of rail passengers in Spain,” concluded Marco Biffoni, Head of Sales Italy for Bombardier Transportation.
The Frecciarossa 1000 is the fastest and quietest high speed train in Europe. The 23 new trains for ILSA will be designed and built by Hitachi Rail and Bombardier in Italy.
From 2022, ILSA will run high-speed services on the Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Alicante and Madrid-Seville/Malaga lines.
In the UK, Hitachi are well known for building new trains for TransPennine Express, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway and Avanti West Coast (of which, Trenitalia part-owns alongside First Group), whilst Bombardier is known for building new trains for Greater Anglia among others.
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As Avanti West Coast are getting the new HS2 trains. I think they be classified in the Class 8xx category. Or maybe in the Class 6xx, Class 7xx or Class 9xx.
Avanti West Coast’s new high speed trains could be based on this design. As Bombardier+Hitachi are to manufacture new HS2 trains and will be in service by 2027/28 once HS2 is completed. And Hitachi are manufacturing the Class 805 and Class 807 AT300 “IET” to replace the Class 221 Voyagers.
2027/28!? Not sure which of the HS2’s dream sheets you are referring to? Phase 1 will not be completed until 2030 at the earliest, and hopefully never if the UK government comes to its senses and finally realises that it will never deliver on the promises. The cost far outweighs any of the benefits. A complete waste of UK tax payers money.
Why does the title refer to “Italy’s” Intermodalidad de Levante? As far as I can deduce, it is a Spanish company based in Valencia and was set up to operate high speed trains in Spain and between Spain and France. This is a very muddled article.