Alstoms ultra-modern .italo AGV for NTV makes its grand debut

The first ultra-modern Alstom AGV train, run by the private Italian operator NTV, will begin its commercial services this Saturday, 28 April.  Founded in 2006 in order to operate Italy's high speed train network, NTV, Italy's first private operator, chose Alstom in 2008 to supply and maintain 25 AGV trainsets over a period of 30 years.

Commercial speeds of 360 kilometres/hour

Heir to the world speed record broken by Alstom in 2007 , this new train has revolutionised the sector, incorporating the latest advances in safety, economy, comfort, ergonomics, aerodynamics and passenger services. Thanks to these technologies, the AGV is capable of travelling at 360 kilometres/ hour on commercial routes.

The final design for the trainsets and their interior fittings -completely personalized for NTV- recall the F1 and sporty Italian cars. NTV has chosen a red colour for the exterior of the train and fine Frau leather (used for luxury Italian cars) for the seats. Moreover, the interior has been designed by another big name in automotive history: Giugiaro.

It is not only the technology and design which differentiate this train from the rest, but its passenger services as well. On all routes and in all coaches, the passengers will have access to a free Internet connection and live television programming. Additionally, there will be special relaxation coaches (in which the use of mobiles is prohibited) and the so-called cinema-coach (with just 39 seats for watching premiere films with high definition sound).

The AGV, a technological convergence

The AGV is the first very high speed train to be entirely designed for an international market (in full compliance with STI standards) while fully taking into account environmental concerns.

This innovative train combines highly articulated architecture with shared bogies, distributed traction and permanent magnet motors. This combination enhances safety, increases on-board capacity by 20% and gives the operator a great degree of flexibility regarding the length of the trains, composing seven to fourteen coaches. The trains acquired by NTV are made up of eleven coaches and twelve bogies. The entire unit measures two hundred metres long and has a 460-seat capacity.

Moreover, the reduced weight and number of components, the use of lightweight material and aerodynamic innovation allow this train to reduce its energy consumption by 15%, in comparison with other high speed trains.

Alstom, pioneer in the high speed sector

With more than 30 years of experience in high speed, Alstom is a world leader in the manufacturing of high and very high speed trains , with 719 units sold worldwide; followed by the Japanese company SKS (255), the German company Siemens (219), the Italian company, Ansaldo (110), Bombardier (50) and Talgo (46). Alstoms line of high speed trains includes single and double-deck models, which may be articulated or non-articulated and include front or distributed traction.

About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including thermal (coal, nuclear, gas...) and renewable ones (hydro, wind, solar...) and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 92,000 people in around 100 countries, and had sales of over 20.9 billion in 2010/11.

^{1 -  3 April 2007, the Alstom train, V150 reached a speed of 574,8 km/h in Eastern France on the new European high speed rail line.
2 - More than 300 km/h.}

Press Contacts
Irma Aguado - Tel +34 91 334 56 81 irma.aguado@crn.alstom.com

Website: www.alstom.es