Trenitalia, Alstom and Hitachi present trains at Innotrans

(AGI) Rome, Sept 20 - Trenitalia, Alstom Italia, and Hitachi Rail Italy unveiled the plans for 450 new commuter trains at the Innotrans2016 trade fair in Berlin. Under the agreement signed with Trenitalia, which is owned by the Italian state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), Alstom will produce 150 medium-capacity trains and Hitachi will supply 300 high-capacity ones, with delivery as of 2019. The contract is worth around 4 billion euros. Trenitalia's CEO, Barbara Morgante said: "It's an unprecedented operation, and in some ways it brings forward some of the goals of the next 2017-2026 Industrial Plan for the FS Group, because new, more efficient, better performing and environmentally sustainable trains ensure a more effective service for our commuters and our customers, the Italian Regions. It also fits in with the aim of integrated mobility, where trains will maintain their strategic role in door-to-door trips. We will therefore be able to improve the already excellent performances of these last few months, when punctuality during peak hours reached 93.2 percent and train departure cancellations fell below 1 percent." Maurizio Manfellotto, CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy, stated: "With Caravaggio [the new train produced for Trenitalia, ed.] we're bringing the future to the present, unveiling a product without equal and a full generation ahead. We're already at work to produce a train the likes of which have never been seen in Europe, in line with the highest standards of safety and comfort. A vehicle that will change Italy's mobility system. A team of 300 people is involved in the project to create a new symbol of Italian productivity after the Frecciarossa 1000." Alstom Italia's managing director, Michele Viale, said his company "is proud to present the fourth generation of our Coradia regional trains, which comes with the reliability of the previous ones but also with many innovations to respond to the demands of Trenitalia, the Italian region, and millions of travellers. The new Coradias, which will enter service in 2019, will feature the most advanced technology available and the possibility to be customised with a vast selection of interiors, modules, and accessories: bike racks, ski racks, luggage racks, cornershops, and workspaces. Comfortable, spacious, and bright, thanks to on-board services such as Wi-Fi and live video and audio surveillance, they will offer a completely new travel experience." (AGI). .