Hitachi Rail and the City of Naples have signed a contract today for the design, supply, and commissioning of 22 trains, each 39 meters long, which will then be configured in double formations, with 6 being delivered in the first phase.
The contract is valued at approximately 200 million euros and is divided into several phases, the value of the first, approved by the city council on February 23, amounts to about 60 million euros and includes the construction of six new bidirectional metro trains for the Mostra-Municipio section of line 6.
With a total length of 39 meters and a capacity of 290 passengers, the new vehicles are characterized by the use of innovative materials that fully meet safety, durability, and recyclability requirements. They are equipped with ATP (Automatic Train Protection), a system for train operation protection, and an innovative air conditioning system capable of ensuring high levels of passenger comfort in all seasons.
The new trains will be manufactured at the Italian Hitachi Rail sites, including the Naples site where about 1,800 people work on rail vehicles and rail control activities. The first six trains will enter service starting from 2026, in line with the reporting deadlines set by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and will contribute to progressively increasing service frequencies, with ever greater comfort for travelers.
"As Hitachi Rail, we are committed to providing sustainable and innovative mobility solutions worldwide," explained Luca D'Aquila, COO of Hitachi Rail Group and CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy. "We believe that public transport, especially urban transport, plays a crucial role in bringing people and communities closer to an integrated and increasingly sustainable mobility ecosystem. That's why we aim to design and build transportation systems that offer safety and comfort to passengers and can encourage the use of mass transportation over private transportation, thus contributing to the development of more connected and green cities."
"This summer, line 6 will be opened for use on the Mostra-Municipio section using the existing 25-meter trains with a capacity of 200 passengers, maintained in terms of mechanics and electronics and enhanced with safety equipment for train operation protection," stated the Mobility Councilor Edoardo Cosenza. "By the summer of 2026, we will gradually switch to the new 39-meter trains with a capacity of 290 passengers as per the contract signed with Hitachi, improving transport capacity and comfort. Subsequently, we will gradually switch to new double-composition trains (580 passengers) with a frequency of 4.5 minutes. Line 6 will involve the large Bagnoli, Fuorigrotta, Chiaia, and later Posillipo areas, connecting them with Piazza Municipio with interchange on Line 1."
"This is a fundamental step for the enhancement of rail transport in the city with the latest generation trains that guarantee efficiency and safety to users. The efforts of the Administration to provide the city with an increasingly articulated and technologically advanced transport system continue," said the Mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi.