Speaking to IRJ at WCRR in Tokyo, Mr Marco Caposciutti, Trenitalia’s technical director, says trials will take place on the Paris - Lille high-speed line and will last for three months. Tests will cover the train’s compatibility with signalling and electrification systems, with the trains already proven to meet dynamic performance under the terms of the European TSI.
Tests in France have so far been limited to the conventional network in Brittany with two ETR 1000 sets arriving in France in September.
Caposciutti says the tests will take place twice a week, which he admits will restrict productivity, although access to the French high-speed network is limited and is at the discretion of French National Railways (SNCF). Once the tests are complete, Caposciutti says attention will shift to introducing a commercial service with Trenitalia eyeing the start of a direct Milan - Paris services using five ETR 1000 sets in June next year.
