Italy authorises first narrow-gauge battery train
Stadler’s SRBe 312 battery trainset has been approved for Ferrovie Appulo Lucane by Italy’s rail safety authority, the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza delle Ferrovie e delle Infrastrutture Stradali e Autostradali (ANSFISA), clearing the first battery-only narrow-gauge rail vehicle authorised in Italy.
The type authorisation was issued on 31 July and covers operation on the operator’s functionally isolated 950 mm network, initially on the 27.4 km line between Altamura and Matera. Ferrovie Appulo Lucane ordered seven of the two-car trainsets from Stadler in 2023 and 2024.
Passenger service has not started. Fast-charging stations to support the fleet are under construction at Altamura and Matera.
Diesel platform reworked for battery traction
The SRBe 312, named Treen, is a battery version of a Stadler narrow-gauge platform that ANSFISA has previously authorised in diesel form for regional networks in Sardinia and Calabria. The conversion replaces the diesel engine with lithium-ion batteries and three-phase asynchronous motors.
Each unit is 36.5 m long and carries 164 passengers, 87 of them seated. Ferrovie Appulo Lucane estimates the fleet will cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,300 tonnes per year.
The project is funded through Italy’s EU-backed National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is also paying for the charging infrastructure. A date for entry into passenger service has not been announced.