Hitachi Rail has recently signed a €70 million agreement to supply the Genoa metro in Italy with 14 new four-car trains.

The trains will be equipped with the onboard systems necessary for correct operation on the Genoa metro and will support the expansion of the network, including the west and east extensions towards Canepari and Martinez, both under construction.

Each of the new trains will have four carriages with a total length of 39m and an overall capacity of 290 passengers. They will normally run in sets of two with a total length of 78m and a capacity of 580 passengers. To allow greater operative flexibility the new trains will also be able to run coupled to the third-generation vehicles currently in service.

The trains will integrate Automatic Train Control Protection (ATP) and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) systems for speed control and assisted automatic drive.

The fleet will be manufactured entirely in Hitachi Rail‘s factories in Italy and the first trains will be delivered in early 2024. With the new trains, AMT, Genoa’s metro operator, will have a fleet of 25 metro trains, seven of which are of similar design and were delivered in 2016. The new trains will be maintained in AMT’s Dinegro depot, named after the Carabinieri Lieutenant Giuseppe Avezzano Comes.

The interior has been designed to maximise the space in the passenger compartments, and use materials fully compliant with safety, resistance, and recyclability requirements.

Each car will have Wi-Fi and audio and video passenger information systems. They will also be equipped with an innovative air conditioning system that will greatly increase the comfort of passengers in every condition and season.

Matteo Campora, Councilor to the Integrated Mobility and Transports of Genoa Municipality, said “With these new 14 trains realised by Hitachi, a company we have a strategic partnership with, we will make the travel experience of residents and tourists more and more agreeable and comfortable.

“The improvements to the metro network are a strategic pillar of the commitment of the Municipality and AMT for the decarbonisation of the transport network in Genoa. The aim is to encourage the shift from private transport, based on polluting cars, to a more sustainable mass transport more environmentally friendly as a necessary condition to reduce the environmental footprint of our travelling.”

Marco Beltrami, AMT Chairman, declared “The improvement of the metropolitan network is fundamental for the public transport in Genoa. AMT believes in an integrated pattern metro/bus to guarantee the max mobility options available to Genoa citizens.

“The new 14 trains will allow us to offer a service of constantly increasing quality, within a growing network. The presence of Hitachi in Genoa allows us to have not only a global level supplier, but also a partner with whom we can launch important innovative projects”.

Andrea Pepi, Head of Sales & Projects, Rolling Stock, Hitachi Rail, said “This contract further confirms the value of the close synergy between Hitachi Rail, Genoa Municipality and AMT for the mobility in the city of Genoa. We are proud to give our contribution in terms of innovation, technologies, and solutions to increase the sustainability of the public transport in Genoa to benefit people’s quality of life.”