Following a successful project to equip 46 new trains for Milan Metro, which started in 2023, Hitachi Rail has now placed an equipment order for up to 30 trains destined for Rome Metro. The manufacturer aims to install three different types of couplers from the Knorr-Bremse portfolio – along with other systems.
For those who can see beyond the preconceptions conjured up by the puttering Vespa, tooting Panda and growling Ferrari, Italy’s mobility landscape tells a far richer story.
After all, this unrepresentative list – however iconic – scarcely does justice to the country’s local public transit network. In Milan and Rome alone, well over one million passengers travel “in treno” (by train) every day. In 2023, Milan’s public transit operator, Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM), added 46 new Hitachi Rail trains to the city’s fleet. But the order also marked Knorr-Bremse’s entry into the technologically sophisticated coupler segment
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Coupling at speeds of up to 15 km/h – no problem for 'AutoLink'
From Knorr-Bremse’s perspective, a new order from Italy – this time from the Azienda per i Trasporti Autoferrotranviari del Comune di Roma (ATAC) – is very similar. Hitachi Rail is installing electropneumatic braking systems complete with FlexControl Modular brake control systems and SysControl brake electronics – including a wheel slide protection system – in up to 30 six-car metro trains. Included in the scope of delivery are weight-optimized, maintenance-friendly entrance systems from IFE that will keep passengers safe while boarding and alighting and also help to keep rail operations reliable. The framework agreement includes a base order for 14 trains and an option for an additional 16 units. Hitachi Rail is installing three types of couplers from Knorr-Bremse’s coupling system portfolio: an 'AutoLink' automatic front (“center buffer”) coupler, capable of efficiently coupling trains at speeds of up to 15 km/h, and two variants of the ShortLink semi-permanent coupler for connecting together the railcars in each trainset.
Customized coupler heads for full operational compatibility
The design of the front couplers in particular is customer-specific. For historical reasons, Rome Metro uses a special coupler layout (as does Milan), so Knorr-Bremse has redesigned the coupler heads to ensure that the new vehicles are fully compatible with existing stock.
The first Knorr-Bremse coupling systems were delivered in November 2024. ATAC plans to put the first of the new trains into passenger service by the end of this year.
