ITALY: On January 21 Stadler Rail and AnsaldoBreda handed over five FLIRT ETR-350 multiple-units to Ferrovie Emilia Romagna in Bologna. These are part of a €200m order for two operators. FER is to get 12 five-car EMUs. Sistemi Territoriali will get four six-car EMUs, 16 four-car EMUs and two GTW DMUs. There is the option for an additional 20 FLIRTs and more GTWs. Stadler is responsible for engineering, powered cars, traction equipment, driver’s cabs and bogies. AnsaldoBreda is producing the intermediate cars and is assembling the trainsets and commissioning them before final delivery (RG 12.09 p8). The lightweight aluminium trainsets have a maximum speed of 160 km/h. They have been approved for various routes in Emilia Romagna. Over the next few weeks, they will be approved for the entire RFI network. More...
Mine sweeper have you seen these yet in person? Are they being used only on non-electrified lines as commuter trains? A 5 car train seems like more of a short distance train, compared to the much longer trains you see a diretti. The Flirt trains are very nice looking units. They even made a decent model of them in german and swiss railway colors. Who knows maybe now Lilliput will put out this color scheme.
Griff, saw quite a lot of times, and travelled too. Until I moved to Rome last summer. That is an electric train, for diesel lines FER has Pesa railcars with the same distinct livery which my kid got a cabin ride by "teaching" the engineer. That is used for short range lines (up to 100miles or a couple of hours travel time), by the way FER is centered in Bologna and does not go further than Milano, Verona, Padova or Rimini.
