Trenitalia awards night train coaches order to Škoda
Italian state operator Trenitalia has awarded a contract of 70 sleeping coaches, and up to 370 total railway coaches to the manufacturer Škoda, along with Titagarh Firema. The Milan – Palermo – Syracuse line will be served by completely new rolling stock. The contract’s total value is 732.5 million euros.
“In October 2022, the Škoda Group opened an office in Florence to enter a new market. A few months later, in Italy, we are involved in two important projects for new long-distance carriages and trams for Bergamo”, says Škoda Group CEO Didier Pfleger. He thanks their partner Titagarh Firema SpA, which according to him brings “expertise and excellent local market knowledge” to the project.
Firema is an Italian company founded in Caserta, Campania, having 90 years of experience in the design and manufacture of rolling stock. It was acquired by the multinational railway group Titagarh in 2015. CEO Carlo Logli, of the company is “pleased that the production of the new coaches will take place in Italy, at a historic site of rolling stock manufacture, because of the subsequent positive impact on employment levels that will result”.
Three class coaches
The DeLuxe coaches are equipped with comfortable spacious bedrooms, six of which are single and two of which are double. Each has its own toilet and shower, and adjustable air-conditioning. The facilities also include information and audio/video infotainment systems. A coach also includes a small kitchen equipped with electrical appliances.
The Comfort Class offers seven compartments in each coach, each equipped with four beds and its own washbasin. In addition, the facilities also include a larger space for people with reduced mobility and their companions. Toilets and transport platforms are also available to facilitate entry and exit. The air conditioning can also be individually adjusted in each compartment.
Economy Class coaches offer a spacious passenger lounge with a 2+1 seating arrangement. Individual sections have dividing walls, armrests and oversized headrests, and each seat has its own individual lighting. The wide central aisle allows for comfortable use of the interior space when the train is moving, while the vestibule area features luggage racks and storage spaces. It features one toilet on each side of the vestibule.
The first part of the contract covers the delivery of a total of 70 sleeping coaches. 44 of them will be in the Comfort category, 22 are DeLuxe and 4 are Economy – with a total value of 138.6 million euros.
Further reading:
