Stadler was awarded a contract in 2015 to supply five BMUs, with the first vehicle handed over to Valle d'Aosta at its plant in Bussnang, Switzerland, on June 15 2017. The first trains, which are designed to operate on lines electrified at 3kV dc and have a diesel engine for non-electrified lines, were due to enter service in May 2018.
However, Valle d'Aosta granted Stadler a postponement due to Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) approval procedures and additional Italian requirements. The vehicles also required a new approval process as the first bi-mode trains in Italy.
The trains are operated by Trenitalia on nine services a day, with the remaining two trains due to be delivered soon.
The service experienced some initial glitches, which a Stadler spokesperson said was mainly due to two causes: delays at passing loops on the single-track line and issues caused by the interaction between the trains and the specific signalling system on the Aosta line.
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