The eight-car trains, which are expected to be classified ETR1000, will
be based on Bombardier's Zefiro V300 platform and will have a
commercial speed of 360km/h with a maximum speed of 400km/h. A
prototype will be delivered within 30 months and series production will
begin 12-15 months later. The 200m-long multi-system trains will
accommodate up to 600 passengers and will be approved for operations in
eight different countries, including France and Switzerland.
 
zefirov300.jpgBidding
was based on a points system, with a maximum possible score of 70
points for the technical part and 30 points for price. The consortium
scored 56.533 for the technical part and 28.88 for price, while Alstom,
the only competing bidder, scored 50.795 and 28.61 respectively.

Trenitalia
says it expects to formally award the contract at a board meeting in
Rome on Thursday. This will make Trenitalia the launch customer for the
V300 variant of the Zefiro, although Bombardier has already sold the
V250 and V380 versions in China. A full-size mock-up of the V300 will
be displayed at InnoTrans on September 21-24.

Alstom developed a new
design for the contract, which specified a non-articulated train
thereby ruling out the manufacturer's AGV, which has already been sold
to Trenitalia's competitor NTV.