Trenitalia awarded Hitachi Rail and Bombardier Transportation a contract for the supply of 23 Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed trains to be operated by the new Intermodalidad de Levante (Ilsa) joint venture in Spain.
EUR 797 million is the value of the contract, with Hitachi Rail taking 60% while Bombardier, 40%. Bombardier’s share is worth EUR 319 million.
The 23 new trains for Ilsa will be designed and built by Hitachi Rail and Bombardier in Italy. Each train will be approximately 200 metres long with capacity for around 460 passengers and capable of commercial speeds of up to 360 km/h.
State-of-the-art aerodynamics and energy saving technologies give the train unmatched operating efficiency. Once onboard, passengers will be able to enjoy Wi-Fi, a bistro area and high levels of comfort in all classes.
The trains are operable on high-speed rail networks equipped with multi-voltage technology fulfilling all TSI requirements. Since their introduction in Italy in 2015, the Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed trains have set enviable standards of performance, operating efficiency and passenger comfort. The Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed trains are the fastest and quietest train in Europe.
Under the European Commission approval on the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation by Alstom, Bombardier’s contribution to the V300 Zefiro very high-speed train and the IP licence will be offered to Hitachi.
The new Frecciarossa 1000 trains will enter high-speed transport services in Spain under 10-year framework agreement signed in May 2020. Ilsa has been selected by Adif, the railway infrastructure manager, as the first private operator to be granted access to the Spanish rail market. From 2022, Ilsa will run high-speed services on the Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Alicante and Madrid-Seville/Malaga lines.
The Ilsa consortium comprises Trenitalia and Operador Ferroviario de Levante SL which will provide high-speed rail transport services in Spain.
“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. The liberalisation 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,” Franco Beretta, President of Bombardier Transportation Italy, said.
Under the Spanish rail liberalisation process, Ilsa will provide transport services alongside with Renfe and Rielsfera, a subsidiary of SNCF, that has also signed a 10-year framework agreement for transport services on country’s high-speed network starting 2021.
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