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| Treno Vivalto | |
|---|---|
| Name | Treno Vivalto |
| Service | 2003–present |
| Manufacturer | Società Italiana Ernesto Breda; AnsaldoBreda |
| Yearconstruction | 2003–2011 |
| Yearservice | 2005 |
| Numberbuilt | 280+ units (bilevel sets) |
| Formation | 4 to 6 cars per set |
| Capacity | ~450–600 passengers per set |
| Operator | Trenitalia |
| Carbody | stainless steel |
| Maxspeed | 160 km/h |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm |
Treno Vivalto is an Italian double-deck regional passenger trainset introduced in the early 2000s and used primarily by Trenitalia for commuter and regional services across Italy. Designed to increase capacity on high-density regional corridors, the trainset combines bilevel coach technology with features intended for short to medium-distance travel. It has been deployed on a range of routes linking metropolitan areas such as Milan, Rome, Naples, Turin and Venice and has undergone multiple upgrades and retrofits during its service life.
Development began as part of Trenitalia's early-21st-century fleet renewal programme following procurement decisions influenced by experiences with Pendolino tilting trains and the expansion of Le Frecce services. Contracts were awarded to Società Italiana Ernesto Breda and later to AnsaldoBreda during a phase that paralleled rolling-stock projects like the ETR 500 and Minuetto. The first prototypes entered production in the mid-2000s and initial sets entered service in 2005 on corridors feeding Milano Centrale and Torino Porta Nuova. Deployment accelerated as regional administrations including Regione Lombardia, Regione Lazio and Regione Campania sought higher-capacity solutions to relieve pressure on suburban networks formerly served by ALn 668 units and conventional single-deck EMUs. Over the following decade, the Vivalto fleet became a fixture on intercity regional links and suburban radial services, with periodic modernisation influenced by feedback from unions such as FIT-CISL and UIL Trasporti.
The Vivalto is a bilevel push-pull coach set featuring stainless-steel car bodies and air suspension bogies derived from designs used on European double-deck rolling stock like the Bombardier Double-deck Coach family. Typical formation comprises driving trailers and intermediate coaches with a central vestibule; sets are marshalled into 4- and 6-car configurations compatible with FS Class E.464 electric locomotives and multiple-unit traction control protocols. The cars are designed for a maximum speed of 160 km/h and incorporate disc braking systems with electronic brake control, automatic door systems compliant with EN 14752-like standards, and compatibility with platform heights common in stations such as Firenze Santa Maria Novella. Traction, heating, ventilation and air conditioning subsystems are integrated to operate under Italy's 3 kV DC catenary and signalling environments including SCMT and line-side ATP equipment where required.
Interior planning addresses high-density regional needs by providing two passenger decks connected by staircases at each vestibule and wide gangways to ease circulation during peak flows similar to suburban bilevel designs used in Île-de-France and Île-de-France Mobilités fleets. Seating arrangements combine transverse and longitudinal seats, offering both 2+2 and 3+2 configurations across different cars to balance capacity and comfort for journeys comparable to regional runs between Bologna and Rimini. Amenities include dedicated luggage racks, bicycle stowage areas influenced by policies of administrations like Regione Emilia-Romagna, multi-purpose areas for prams or wheelchairs in compliance with accessibility provisions championed by European Commission directives, passenger information displays, and onboard CCTV systems aligned with recommendations from Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti.
Vivalto sets are principally assigned to regional and commuter duties on dense corridors radiating from urban hubs such as Milano Centrale, Roma Termini, Napoli Centrale and Venezia Santa Lucia. They operate under Trenitalia's regional service brands and are scheduled for frequent stop patterns comparable to S-Bahn-style services found in Milan suburban railway service and Naples metropolitan services. The flexibility to couple multiple sets and to work in locomotive-hauled push-pull mode allows operators to adjust capacity for peak commuting hours, special-event movements to venues like San Siro or Stadio Olimpico, and seasonal tourist flows to destinations such as Amalfi Coast and Venice.
Initial manufacture began at Breda and AnsaldoBreda facilities, with component supply chains involving Italian subcontractors and European suppliers that had previously contributed to projects including Ansaldo STS signalling equipment and Hitachi Rail components. Deliveries occurred in batches through the late 2000s, financed via Trenitalia capital programmes and regional co-funding agreements negotiated with administrations like Regione Lazio and Regione Lombardia. Deployment was staged to replace aging locomotive-hauled regional sets and to augment EMU fleets such as the Trenitalia Jazz and Trenord inventories. Maintenance responsibility has been assigned to depots in major rail hubs including Milano Smistamento and Napoli Smistamento.
Throughout service, the Vivalto family underwent interior refits, HVAC upgrades, and software revisions for door control and passenger information systems. Some sets received acoustic insulation improvements after comparisons with international bilevel models like Niederflurwagen and Stadler KISS. Other modifications included retrofitting to enhance accessibility for persons with reduced mobility per European Union accessibility mandates, installation of real-time passenger-counting sensors used in modern fleet management, and experimental anti-vandalism coatings trialled following incidents in urban networks such as those in Rome and Milan.
The fleet's safety record includes a number of operational incidents typical of regional rolling stock, involving level-crossing collisions and minor derailments on secondary lines; investigations have involved authorities such as Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza delle Ferrovie and coordination with Polizia Ferroviaria. Responses led to procedural changes in maintenance regimes and signal integration upgrades with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana infrastructure projects. Major catastrophic events have not been widely attributed to intrinsic design failure of the bilevel coaches; instead, findings often cited external factors including infrastructure condition, human factors, and line-side risk exposure near urban peripheries.
Category:Rolling stock of Italy Category:Double-deck EMUs