Hitachi Rail, as part of the IRICAV DUE Consortium, has signed a €1.8 billion contract to design and install the track and provide digital signalling for a new high-speed line that would cross Vincenza.
The new contract follows the phase one award (Verona-Bivio Vicenza), which was signed in August 2020 and is valued at more than €2.4bn.
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The signature of the contract between RFI and the Consortium IRICAV DUE will allow Hitachi Rail to begin work on the Vicenza Crossing.
Despite its short length of 6.2 kilometres, the link will alter travel between Verona and Padua, because the news signalling will allow both high-speed and high-capacity train travel.
European Rail Transport Management System (ERTMS) technology will be included by Hitachi, meaning that cross-border trains from Italy’s neighbours will be able to run the route. It also improves capacity, as ERTMS enhanced safety controls allow trains to run closer together and therefore more often.
Luca D’Aquila, COO Hitachi Rail Group and CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy, said: “We are particularly proud of this order: our ERTMS digital signalling will deliver for the customer and the passenger alike. Once installed, the system will enable a service that can safely travel at greater speed and with increased capacity on the line.”
