Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned

Finmeccanica Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the eighth ...

, the company was sold in 2015 to

Hitachi Rail () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...

of Japan. After the deal was finalized, the current name was adapted in November 2015 to reflect the new ownership.

History

Early history: Ansaldo and Breda

Ansaldo

In 1853, the company '' Gio. Ansaldo & C.'' was registered in Genoa as a manufacturer of steam locomotives, rail rolling stock and steam engines. The company was backed by

Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri (, 10 August 1810 – 6 June 1861), generally known as Cavour ( , ), was an Italian politician, businessman, economist and noble, and a leading figure in the movement tow ...

, the powerful finance minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, who aimed to reduce its dependence on imported trains and rolling stock. Ansaldo entered the age of the steam locomotive in 1854 with its model FS113, also known as ''Sampierdarena''. During the First world war, Ansaldo became a large supplier of weapons to the Italian army; facing insurmountable difficulties with post-war reconversion to civilian industry, the company was eventually nationalised in 1921. During the rest of the 1900s, the company diversified in different fields, especially power generation ( Ansaldo Energia) and nuclear research, while the rolling stock activities were reunited under Ansaldo Trasporti.

Breda

Milano mus Scienza Tecnologia locomotiva S685

In 1886, Ernesto Breda founded in Milan '' Società Italiana Ernesto Breda''. By 1908, Breda's thousandth locomotive was built. Breda entered the electric locomotive era in 1936 with the production of the FS Class ETR 200 series electric multiple unit. In 1939 this type set the

land speed record for rail vehicles The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's TGV (''Train à Grande Vitesse''), set in 2007 when it reached on a section of track. Japan's experimental maglev train L0 Series achieved on a 42.8 km ma ...

at .Maurizio Panconesi, ''La direttissima degli Appennini. La linea Bologna-Prato e le sue ferrovie di servizio'', Cortona, Calosci, 2002, , pp. 121-125. Similarly to Ansaldo, also Breda became a main weapon supplier to the Fascist regime, especially of artillery and airplanes. After the Second World War the company was facing bankruptcy, and was eventually nationalised in 1947. During the Italian economic miracle of the 1950-60s, Breda produced a highly successful commuter train, the

FS Class ETR 300 The ETR 300, also known as "Settebello-type" for its use on the former ''Settebello'' train service, is a type of Italian fast electric multiple unit (EMU) trainset formerly operated by Ferrovie dello Stato. Nock, O.S. (1978). "The Settebello: s ...

, several classes of

railcars A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

and locomotives, and diversified into defense (

OTO Melara OTO Melara was a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, today Leonardo, active in the defence sector, with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. The Mod 56 pack howitzer, in service throughout the world, and the 76mm naval gun, ad ...

) and, especially,

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for char ...

. In the 1980s Breda participated in the consortium that designed the first Italian high-speed train, the

FS Class ETR 500 ETR 500 ('' Elettro Treno Rapido 500'') is a family of Italian high-speed trains built by AnsaldoBreda and introduced in 1993. Designed under the aegis of the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), it is now operated by Trenitalia on RFI tracks. History ...

Merger and crisis (2001–2015)

In a massive restructuring effort, in 2001 the Italian state merged all the rolling stock activities of the then loss-making Ansaldo and Breda in a new company, ''AnsaldoBreda'',Company
AnsaldoBreda. Retrieved on 2009-07-17. that in turn became part of the

state-owned group. The new company won a string of big contracts across Europe and the United States; however, lacking adequate funding and capacity, AnsaldoBreda became infamous for its unreliable products and long delays, irreparably damaging the reputation of the company.

Controversies during the 2000s

In 1991, 100 4000 Series railcars from AnsaldoBreda were delivered to the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States C ...

. On 4 July 2010, after several incidents where the doors would open while the train was in motion, Metro removed the fleet for repairs until 20 July that year. On 17 November 2016 Metro discovered an error in which a 4000-series car would display an incorrect speed limit to a train operator while in manual mode (which is the only mode used since the

June 2009 Washington Metro train collision During the afternoon rush hour of June 22, 2009, a subway train wreck occurred between two southbound Red Line Washington Metro trains in Northeast, Washington, D.C., United States. A moving train collided with a train stopped ahead of it; t ...

). On 7 June 2017 Metro announced that the 4000-series cars would be fully retired and removed from service on 1 July 2017, and by that date all cars were taken out of service. Delivery of 83

IC4 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog til ...

AnsaldoBreda trainsets for the

Danish State Railways DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goo ...

DSB was originally planned for 2003-2006. However, the last train was delivered only in 2013 and IC4 trains have seen many technical problems during their service. DSB announced in 2016 that the trains would be withdrawn from service from 2024. After winning a big contract for the Dutch Belgium

Fyra Fyra (pronounced ) was an international high-speed rail service between the Netherlands and Belgium using the AnsaldoBreda V250 train. The service used the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 railway lines to connect Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Antw ...

project in 2004, nine V250 train units were delivered to the Dutch partner NS over five years later than originally contracted. Soon after the trains went into service om the highspeed line between the Netherlands and Belgium, the V250 suffered a number of severe technical problems. The Fyra had a poor reputation for reliability. After a month of operations more than 5% of all trains were cancelled and less than 45% of them ran on schedule. On 31 May 2013, the Belgium partner NMBS/SNCB announced that they would exit the Fyra project and cancel the contract with AnsaldoBreda. The City of Gothenburg in Sweden has ordered 40 one-directional Sirio trams which were to be put into service on the

Gothenburg tram network The Gothenburg tramway network ( sv, Göteborgs spårvägar) is part of the public transport system organised by Göteborgs Spårvägar, controlled by Västtrafik in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. The system's approximately of single track &m ...

during 2005 and onwards. The trams were delivered late and functioned poorly when put into traffic. Among reported problems were corrosion, excessive track damage caused by the trams, malfunctioning air conditioners inside the trams and poor ride quality. The City of Gothenburg therefore withheld a large part of the payment for a delivered tram until fully operational. The 32 two-directional trams delivered for the Oslo Tramway from 1999, called

SL95 SL95 is a series of 32 low-floor, articulated trams operated on the Oslo Tramway. The series was built by Italian rail manufacturer Ansaldo/Firema, later known as AnsaldoBreda (now Hitachi Rail Italy), and delivered between 1999 and 2004. Capaci ...

, have met several difficulties with rust during snowy weather and the heavy weight necessitates much maintenance to streets and tracks, which make the trams expensive to operate. They are also considered to create more noise than necessary. The replacement of the trams will start in 2020 and the last trams will be taken out of service in 2024. After 7 years on a 4 year project the region of Stockholm decided to cancel the contract on new signal system for the red metro line in Stockholm with Ansaldo on 1 billion SEK. The prepayment of hundreds of million SEK is currently up in arbitration court.

The Italian high-speed trains program

In spite of its overall terminal crisis, AnsaldoBreda managed to successfully participate in the Italian high-speed trains program until the very end of its existence. The

ETR 500 ETR 500 ('' Elettro Treno Rapido 500'') is a family of Italian high-speed trains built by AnsaldoBreda and introduced in 1993. Designed under the aegis of the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), it is now operated by Trenitalia on RFI tracks. History ...

, that entered service in 1993, was continuously upgraded and run at a record speed of in the Monte Bibele tunnel between Florence and Bologna in 2009, setting a speed record for trains in a tunnel. A new generation high-speed train, the Frecciarossa 1000, was developed in a consortium with

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industr ...

and entered service in 2015. On 26 February 2016, a Frecciarossa 1000 reportedly attained a peak speed of while traversing the Torino-Milano high speed line.

Hitachi Italy era (2015 to present)

Lacking the funds for a proper restructuring of its troubled subsidiary, Finmeccanica on 2 November 2015 announced the 'closing of transactions' covering the acquisition of AnsaldoBreda by

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...

, together with Finmeccanica's 40% stake in

Ansaldo STS Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is a transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and integrated ...

. Under the agreements signed on 24 February 2015, following a dividend distribution announced on 6 March, the purchase price for Finmeccanica's stake in Ansaldo STS has been set at €9.50 per share, amounting to a total of €761m. The total net consideration to be paid for AnsaldoBreda as a going concern, including property assets, amounts to around €30m. As a part of the deal Finmeccanica would keep the responsibility for some residual contracts. On 2 November 2015 AnsaldoBreda changed its name to Hitachi Rail Italy. Since being acquired by Hitachi, production of some

British Rail Class 802 The British Rail Class 802 is a type of high speed bi-mode multiple-unit passenger train designed and produced by the Japanese manufacturer Hitachi Rail. It has been operated by Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express, and Hull Trains; eac ...

has been shifted to Hitachi Rail Italy's Pistoia plant due to Hitachi Rail's Newton Aycliffe plant, being at capacity. The name changed in Hitachi Rail with headquarters in London and subsidiary in Pistoia. Production sites in Italy remain in Pistoia and

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label=Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popula ...

Products

DMU and EMU

* Frecciarossa 1000 *

FS Class ALe 642 FS ALe 642 is a class of Italian Electric Multiple Unit trains built from 1991 to 1995 for use on secondary lines and for commuter traffic. In service since 1991. Description This class is strictly derived from the previous ALe 582 and ALe ...

NSB Class 72 NSB Class 72 ( no, NSB type 72) is a class of 36 electric multiple units built by AnsaldoBreda for the Norwegian State Railways (now Vy). Delivered between 2002 and 2005, the four-car units operate on the Oslo Commuter Rail and the Jæren Commuter ...

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

Treno ad alta frequentazione ALe 426/506 TAF (acronym of Treno ad Alta Frequentazione) is an Italian Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) used mainly on commuter regional trains. Concept design has been made by Italian designer Pininfarina. Two different companies employ them: Tre ...

Treno Servizio Regionale The Treno Servizio Regionale (TSR) are a series of double-decker EMUs used by the Lombard railway company Trenord for the commuter services around Milan, and particularly for the suburban lines. Description Each train is composed by several ...

V250 (train) The Trenitalia ETR 700, originally NS Hispeed V250, is a high-speed train designed by Pininfarina and built by AnsaldoBreda originally for NS International and NMBS/SNCB to operate on the Fyra-service, a high speed train between Amsterdam a ...

Metro

* AnsaldoBreda Meneghino *

Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro The Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro is a class of driverless electric multiple units and corresponding signaling system. Manufactured by Hitachi Rail Italy (formerly AnsaldoBreda) and Hitachi Rail STS (former name Ansaldo STS) in Italy, it i ...

Tram and light rail

* AnsaldoBreda T-68 * Sirio *

* West Midlands Metro rolling stock *

AnsaldoBreda P2550 The AnsaldoBreda P2550 is an articulated high-floor electric light rail vehicle manufactured by AnsaldoBreda (now Hitachi Rail Italy) for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro Rail system. History In 2001, th ...

Locomotives

* FS Class E.402 * FS Class E.403

Main operators

Brazil

* Elettrotreno ETR 211 (Metrostar) for

Fortaleza Metro The Metropolitan of Fortaleza, also known popularly as Metro of Fortaleza or Metrofor, is a system of metropolitan transport that operates in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, operated by Companhia Cearense de Transportes Metropolitanos, company o ...

running in the Linha Sul

China

* Sirio for Zhuhai Tram

Denmark

for Copenhagen Metro. * diesel multiple unit

for DSB

Greece

* Sirio for

Athens Tram The Athens Tram is the modern public tram network system serving Athens, Greece. The system is owned and operated by STASY, which replaced Tram S.A. in June 2011. STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Sirio vehicles, which serve ...

. * Tri-mode trains for

TrainOSE Hellenic Train S.A., formerly TrainOSE S.A. ( el, ΤραινΟΣΕ Α.Ε., pronounced ''trenosé'') is a private railway company in Greece which currently operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. TrainOSE was acquired in September 201 ...

long-distance services capable of operating with electrical supply, diesel engines or onboard batteries, to be delivered from 2022. * 33

for Metro Thessaloniki.

Italy

* high-speed

for Trenitalia of

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real est ...

. * high-speed Frecciarossa 1000 for Trenitalia of

. * locomotive E.402 * locomotive E.403 * multiple unit

(TSR) for LeNORD. * multiple unit

(TAF) for

Ferrovie Nord Milano 450px, Map of the main branch of the FNM lines. FNM operates also the Brescia-Edolo railway in eastern Lombardy">Edolo.html" ;"title="Brescia-Edolo">Brescia-Edolo railway in eastern Lombardy, not shown in map. Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM S.p.A.) is ...

(FNM). * multiple unit

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

for Trenitalia and FNM. * three-car articulated units ETR 211 Metrostar for

Circumvesuviana Circumvesuviana () is a railway network in the east of the Naples metropolitan area, previously run by a company of the same name, now operated by Ente Autonomo Volturno. Electrically powered throughout, the system uses the narrow gauge of ...

. The Circumvesuviana operate a fleet of twenty-six "Metrostar". *

Meneghino Meneghino (; Milanese: ) is a traditional character of the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated to the city of Milan. As such, it also plays a major role in the Milanese celebrations of Carnival ('' Carnevale Ambrosiano'') and in local '' ...

for

Milan Metro The Milan Metro ( it, Metropolitana di Milano) is the rapid transit system serving Milan, Italy, operated by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi. The network consists of 5 lines, identified by different numbers and colours, with a total network length of ...

. *

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard. People Notable people with the name include: * Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...

for

. *

for

and

Brescia Metro The Brescia Metro ( it, Metropolitana di Brescia) is a rapid transit network serving Brescia, Lombardy, Italy. The network comprises a single line, having a length of and a total of 17 stations from ''Prealpino'' to ''Sant´Eufemia-Buffalora'', ...

. * Sirio for '' Tramvie Elettriche Bergamasche'' of

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Co ...

. * Sirio for Rete tranviaria di Firenze of Florence. * Sirio for Naples tramway network of Naples and for Sassari metro-tramway.

Morocco

* multiple unit TAF Z2M for

ONCF ONCF (from French: ''Office National des Chemins de Fer''; ar, المكتب الوطني للسكك الحديدية ''Al-Maktab al-Waṭaniy lil-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah''; ''Moroccan National Railways Office'') is Morocco's national railway op ...

. The ONCF operates a fleet of 24 trains. ONCF - Ansaldo Breda Z2M

Norway

* electric multiple unit

for

Norwegian State Railways Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach ...

. The NSB operates a fleet of 36 trains. * multiple unit

for Oslo Tramway.

Sporveien Trikken Sporveien Trikken AS, formerly Oslo Sporvognsdrift AS and Oslotrikken AS, is the company that operates the Oslo Tramway in Oslo, Norway. Sporveien Trikken is owned by Sporveien, which is again owned by the city council and has an operating contra ...

operates a fleet of 32

low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were somet ...

trams. Over the years, AnsaldoBreda has updated the equipment to meet the requirements and demands of the operator in Norway.

Spain

* multiple unit AnsaldoBreda series S7000 operates mainly on the Line 10 (Madrid Metro) Madrid Metro. The

Madrid Metro The Madrid Metro ( Spanish: ''Metro de Madrid'') is a rapid transit system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the 14th longest rapid transit system in the world, with a total length of 293 km (182 mi). Its gr ...

operates a fleet of 37 trains. * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda series S9000 for the

Line 7 (Madrid Metro) Line 7 of the Madrid Metro is a rapid transit line that originally opened on 17 July 1974. It currently runs between and . History The line has been extended multiple times. It initially ran between and . On 17 May 1975, the line was extended f ...

Madrid Metro. The

operates a fleet of 53 trains.

Sweden

* Sirio trams for

of Gothenburg.

Turkey

* Sirio for Samsun Tram.

United Kingdom

Midland Metro The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmi ...

formerly operated a fleet of 16 two carriage T69 trams in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

.Boynton (2001), p.80. The fleet was completely replaced after 14 years of service by

CAF Urbos 3 The CAF Urbos is a family of trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles built by CAF. The Basque manufacturer CAF previously manufactured locomotives, passenger cars, regional, and underground trains. In 1993, CAF started building trams for Metr ...

trams in 2015. * Manchester Metrolink commenced operations in 1992 using a passenger fleet of 26 T-68 trams, with a further 6 (slightly modified) versions supplied by 2000. The entire fleet was gradually replaced by 2013. * Great Western Railway ordered 36 train sets of

which were produced in HRI's Pistoia facility.

United States

* multiple unit Breda CQ312 class for the

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA, ) is the principal public transport operator in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit s ...

. The

operates a fleet of 100 cars, car numbers 601-702, built by Breda, 2001–2005. * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda Type 8 LRV for the MBTA's Green Line in Boston. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates a fleet of 95 LRV cars, alongside the MBTA's existing Kinki Sharyo type 7 cars. The Breda cars have been very difficult to maintain and are expected to be outlasted by their predecessors (built by Kinki Sharyo) * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda LRV for the

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

and Green lines of Cleveland. The

RTA Rapid Transit RTA Rapid Transit (generally known as The Rapid) is a rapid transit, light rail, and bus rapid transit system. The system is owned and operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA). The system serves Cleveland and surround ...

operates a fleet of 48 LRV cars. * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda P2550 for the Los Angeles Metro L Line. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a fleet of 50 LRV cars. * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda A650 Breda A650. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a fleet of 72 vehicles on the B Line and D Line. * multiple unit AnsaldoBreda LRV2 and AnsaldoBreda LRV3 for the Muni Metro of San Francisco Municipal Railway. The Muni Metro operates a fleet of 151 LRV cars. * multiple units for the Washington Metro. The

operates: ** 1000-Series—300 units originally built by Rohr, Inc., 290 units were refurbished by Breda; retired in 2017 ** 2000-Series—76 units built ** 3000-Series—290 units built ** 4000-Series—100 units built; retired in 2017 * 136 cars for Metrorail (Miami-Dade County) - assembled in Medley by HRI subsidiary Hitachi Rail USA * 78 cars for

Baltimore Metro SubwayLink The Metro SubwayLink is a rapid transit line serving the greater area of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, and is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. The segment in Downtown Baltimore is underground, and most of the line out ...

-Also assembled in Miami by Hitachi Rail USA * 80 cars for Honolulu Area Rapid Transit (HART)

References

External links

* {{Hitachi Gio. Ansaldo & C. Società Italiana Ernesto Breda Italian brands Railway companies established in 2001 Italian companies established in 2001 Companies based in Tuscany Companies based in Naples Multinational companies headquartered in Italy Hitachi Rail Manufacturing companies established in 2001