Eurostar Italia
Encyclopedia
Eurostar Italia is a network of Italian high-speed inter-city trains, operated by Trenitalia
(a major Italian railway company). Trenitalia states that there are 130 train journeys per day.
The name Eurostar is used under license from Iveco
, which owns the trademark and used the name for one of their trucks. Despite the identical name, there is no relation between this service and the Eurostar
railway service that runs through the Channel Tunnel
.
"; this is an EMU
(Electric Multiple Unit) built by FIAT Ferroviaria (now Alstom
). The first ETR 450
entered service in May 1988 and various versions are now in service such as ETR 460
and ETR 480
. All of these trains are capable of speeds up to 250 km/h and are provided with tilting
systems that allow fast speeds on old tracks. These Pendolinos are blocked composition trains used on medium traffic routes; they carry up to 480 passengers.
For the main routes Trenitalia uses the ETR 500
trains. These trains can carry 590 or more passengers and are capable of speeds up to 300 km/h. The ETR 500 is an 11-12 carriage train with double symmetrical traction units. This configuration allows the modification of the composition in response to varying service requests.
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
(a major Italian railway company). Trenitalia states that there are 130 train journeys per day.
The name Eurostar is used under license from Iveco
Iveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...
, which owns the trademark and used the name for one of their trucks. Despite the identical name, there is no relation between this service and the Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
railway service that runs through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
.
The trains
The first type is the "PendolinoPendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
"; this is an EMU
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
(Electric Multiple Unit) built by FIAT Ferroviaria (now Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
). The first ETR 450
ETR 450
ETR 450 was the first series Italian tilting train .The Pendolino project was started in the 1970s by FIAT Ferroviaria, but also absorbed technology from tilting train experiments from elsewhere, most notably the British Advanced Passenger Trains, FIAT having bought the patents...
entered service in May 1988 and various versions are now in service such as ETR 460
ETR 460
The ETR 460 is a tilting EMU built by FIAT Ferroviaria beginning from 1993, also known as Pendolino.ETR 460 was an improved development of ETR 450, a Pendolino EMU developed in the 1970s, being characterized by improved layout, electrical and electronic systems, and a better comfort. Maximum speed...
and ETR 480
ETR 480
The ETR 480 is a tilting Electric Multiple Unit built by FIAT Ferroviaria since 1993, It is also known as Pendolino. It was developed from the first new-generation Pendolino, the ETR 460...
. All of these trains are capable of speeds up to 250 km/h and are provided with tilting
Tilting train
A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
systems that allow fast speeds on old tracks. These Pendolinos are blocked composition trains used on medium traffic routes; they carry up to 480 passengers.
For the main routes Trenitalia uses the ETR 500
ETR 500
ETR 500 is a family of Italian high-speed trains introduced in 1993.Designed under the aegis of the Ferrovie dello Stato , it is now operated by Trenitalia on RFI tracks.-History:...
trains. These trains can carry 590 or more passengers and are capable of speeds up to 300 km/h. The ETR 500 is an 11-12 carriage train with double symmetrical traction units. This configuration allows the modification of the composition in response to varying service requests.
The lines
On 9 December 2009, the Novara-Milan, Bologna-Florence and Naples-Salerno stretches of high-speed line were opened, creating a continuous high-speed route between Turin and Salerno.Service patterns
As of July 2006, the Eurostar Italia website state they operate the following routes in Italy:Bi-hourly frequency
- Turin-Milan-Verona-Venice
- Venice-Bologna-Ancona-Bari
- Venice-Bologna-Florence-Rome
- Reggio Calabria-Ancona-Rome
Less frequent services
- Trieste-Venice-Rome
- Udine-Venice-Rome
- Bolzano-Bologna-Florence-Rome
- Turin-Florence-Rome-Naples-Bari
- Savona-Genoa-Pisa-Rome-Taranto
See also
- Treno Alta VelocitàTreno Alta VelocitàTreno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.-Purpose:...
- TrenitaliaTrenitaliaTrenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
- Rete Ferroviaria ItalianaRete Ferroviaria ItalianaRete Ferroviaria Italiana is an Italian company fully owned by Ferrovie dello Stato . RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it sets train paths, provides signalling, provides maintenance and other services for the railway network...
- ElettroTrenoElettroTrenoETR is a series of Italian high-speed trains.-Tilting EMU trains:*ETR 401*ETR 450*ETR 460*ETR 470*ETR 480*ETR 600 These models are often referred as Pendolino....
- PendolinoPendolinoPendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
- New PendolinoNew PendolinoThe New Pendolino is a class of high-speed tilting trains built by Alstom Ferroviaria for Trenitalia and the swiss Railway SBB CFF FFS, known as the ETR 600 and ETR 610, respectively...
- Train categories in EuropeTrain categories in EuropeRailway companies in Europe assign their trains to different categories or train types depending on their role. Passenger trains may be broadly split into long-distance and local trains; the latter having average journey times of under an hour and a range of less than 50 kilometres. Goods trains...