FS Class ETR 450

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ElettroTreno Rapido 450
Italian "Pendolino" ETR 450.
In service29 May 1988 - 6 January 2015
ManufacturerFiat Ferroviaria, Ercole Marelli
Built atSavigliano ( Cuneo )
Family namePendolino
Constructed1987 - 1992
Entered service1988
Refurbished1993
Scrapped2015
Number built15
Number preserved1 ( for Fondazione FS )
Number scrapped14
Formation6 cars ( 1st class only ), 8 cars, 9 cars ( 1st and 2nd class )
Capacity390 seats: 170 1st class, 220 2nd class / 126 1st class, 264 2nd class.
OperatorsTrenitalia
Lines servedRoma - Milano, Roma - Torino, Roma - Firenze - Genova - Savona, Roma - Venezia, Roma - Verona - Bolzano, Roma - Bari - Lecce, Roma - Napoli - Salerno, Roma - Potenza - Taranto, Roma - Reggio Calabria, Roma Perugia, Roma - Ancona, Roma - Rimini, Roma - La Spezia, Roma - Vicenza, Milano - Ancona - Pescara.
Specifications
Train length233.9 m (767 ft 5 in)
Maximum speed280 km/h (174 mph) (design)
250 km/h (155 mph) (service)
Power output5568 kW hourly, 5008 kW continuous
Electric system(s)3 kV DC Overhead catenary
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Front view

ETR 450 (ElettroTrenoRapido 450) was the first series Italian tilting train (also called Pendolino).

History[edit]

The Pendolino project was started in the 1970s by FIAT Ferroviaria. Development included a number of prototypes, the last of which was the ETR 401. This prototype was followed by the ETR 450 series units. The first train entered service on between Rome and Milan in 1988.

Every train is made up of 9 units. The trains can reach a maximum speed of 280 km/h (174 mph), service top speed was 250 km/h (155 mph). The ETR 450 were in use on the Rome-Bari, Rome-Ancona-Rimini and Genoa-Florence - Rome lines. It was relegated to lower services with the introduction of the next generation of Pendolino trains (ETR 460, ETR 480) and non-tilting high-speed trains (ETR 500).

In 2004, the tilting mechanism was deactivated, due to the end of production of gyroscopic tilting controls (built by British Aerospace) and as a precaution, and top speed was reduced to 200 km/h (124 mph).

From 2015, all trains are out of service.

Characteristics[edit]

  • Construction years: 1987 - 1992
  • Max. speed (in service): 250 km/h (155 mph)
  • Max. tilting angle: 8°
  • Total number of seats: 390 (220 II + 170 I)

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

Media related to FS ETR.450 at Wikimedia Commons