Hitachi Rail

19 Jun 2023

Italy: A Blissful Commute Aboard Italy’s Urban Blues

Case Study 4 minute read
With the EU and national governments across Europe set the target of meet Net Zero by 2050, solutions to decarbonisation are being sought across all modes of transport. While huge progress has been made in the automotive sector, rail has its own unique challenges and opportunities.

How the Blues train is pioneering Europe’s battery-hybrid rail transport in Italy

Customer: Trenitalia
Project date: 2022
Solution: Blues train derived from Hitachi Rail’s Masaccio platform

Consumers increasingly prioritise the sustainability of their travel choices. Trains like the Masaccio ensure comfortable, clean and efficient rail is an option for as many people as possible across Europe.

Luca D'Aquila

Hitachi Rail

Download the technical fact sheet

Meet Net Zero by 2050

Challenge

With the EU and national governments across Europe set the target of meet Net Zero by 2050, solutions to decarbonisation are being sought across all modes of transport. While huge progress has been made in the automotive sector, rail has its own unique challenges and opportunities.

In Italy alone, there are 4,000km of tracks (and many thousands across Europe) that are unlikely to be electrified due to cost of new infrastructure.

Europe's first tri-brid trains

Solution

Trenitalia partnered with Hitachi Rail to develop Europe’s first tri-brid trains – the Blues train – to operate initially in eight different regions across Italy.

Derived from Hitachi Rail’s Masaccio Platform, the Blues train utilises a combination of three power sources (electricity, diesel and battery) enabling it to operate seamlessly and sustainably on electrified and non-electrified lines. The advanced, new generation, hybrid technology provides a sustainable path to decarbonising European transport.

Entered into service in December 2022, the first Blues trains are replacing diesel trains on lines in Sicily, Calabria, Tuscany, Sardinia and Emilia Romagna, and cutting carbon emissions by 50%. The train travels with diesel engines on non-electrified lines, with pantographs on electrified lines, and can use batteries to travel the last mile on non-electrified lines or while stopping at stations, reducing emissions and saving fuel.

Flexible and Scalable

Battery Innovation

Innovation in the automotive market has transformed performance and costs associated with battery technology, and Hitachi Rail is leading the way in pioneering its use in train travel.

The Blues train includes a baseline configuration made up of two battery packs, with flexible and scalable capacity, and a battery management system equipped to measure cell voltage and temperature to maintain balance. The lithium-ion battery cells have proven to be best-in-class in the automotive sector for safety and performance, offering high rate charging capability, low temperature performance and charge/discharge efficiency.

And range for battery trains continues to increase with rapidly improving technology. The Blues train can travel as four-car in battery-electric mode for up to 11 km at 50km/h, 9 km at 70 km/h or 7 km at 100 km/h. As a three-car train, this increases to 12 km at 50km/h, 10 km at 70 km/h or 7.7 km at 100 km/h.

Seamless, Sustainable Journeys

With the launch of the Blues train, Trenitalia heralds a new era of sustainable and versatile rail travel that not only reduces carbon emissions but also redefines comfort, efficiency and performance.

As less than 60% of train lines are electrified in Europe, the Blues Train offers an immediate solution to decarbonise rail travel on regional lines across the continent. 

  • Cuts carbon emissions by 50%

  • Speeds of up to 162km/h and 1.10m/sec2 acceleration

  • Up to 25 years’ service life with 16 hours daily operation