The new .italo AGV very high-speed train for NTV. Foto: Alstom Transport

[18. Dezember 2011 (Alstom)] On Tuesday 13 December, Italy’s first private rail operator, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV), unveiled its new .italo AGV very high-speed train.

The new Trains in Nola. Foto: Alstom Transport

The first trains are slated to start regularly scheduled service on the Turin-Salerno and Rome-Venice lines in early 2012. For this grand debut, NTV assembled some 800 people in Nola (Italy), including Italian political authorities and decision-makers, representatives of European railways, rail operators, employees and international media representatives. 

In a joint speech, NTV’s CEO, Luca di Montezemolo, and the Chairman and CEO of Alstom, Patrick Kron, spoke of the new train’s technological and ecological innovations, the wide range of services soon to be available to travellers on the Italian peninsula, the fruitful partnership between Alstom and NTV and the efficiency of the various production sites that participated in the project.

After the speech, the newly completed train was unveiled. The train’s red livery, adorned with the operator’s logos, brings to mind Ferrari’s race red signature colour.

The guests then boarded the train for an exclusive preview of the innovative interiors devised by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. There are several design schemes, including Club, Prima and Smart, all with free Wi-Fi, live television, ample space for each passenger and much more. Among other innovative features, the train will include a 39-seat cinema car.

The new depot in Nola. Foto: Alstom Transport

Nola: the symbol of a long-term partnership

The tour continued with a visit to the new depot in Nola, entirely dedicated to the maintenance of the .italo AGV fleet, which has been entrusted to Alstom for a 30-year period. This 140,000-sq.m facility will be staffed by some 200 people in all, including Alstom’s experts who will work in close collaboration with NTV’s teams. It will be in direct communication with the trains during operation via Alstom’s TrainTracer technology, which monitors the trains’ condition in real time and makes preparations for any maintenance work required well in advance of their return to the depot.