THE first ETR 1000 360km/h high-speed train for Ilsa will arrive in Spain at the end of August for approval, followed by a second train in September and a third in December.
The open-access operator plans to start running trains in passenger traffic in the second half of 2022 and is spending €1bn on a fleet of new trains built in Pistoia, Italy, by Hitachi and Bombardier (now Alstom).
The propulsion systems have been developed at the Bombardier plant in Trápaga in the Basque Country, with assembly and commissioning completed at Pistoia.
Each train is 200 metres long and has capacity for 467 passengers.
“The departure of our first train from the factory is a great milestone for our company, because it begins the countdown to their approval and start-up,” says Mr Carlos Bartomeu, Ilsa president.
Ilsa is owned by Air Nostrum (55%) and Trenitalia (45%) and is aiming to secure a 30% share of the high-speed market in Spain by transporting 8 million passengers per year. It will operate an hourly service between Madrid - Barcelona - French border; Madrid - Valencia - Alicante; and Madrid - Seville/Malaga. It is also aiming to expand beyond Spain in the future.
For an interview with Ilsa CEO Fabrizio Favara, see the February edition of IRJ, p26, or click here.
