The issuance by ANSFISA of the Authorisation to Enter into Service (Amis) for the operation of the new hydrogen-powered trains along the Brescia–Iseo–Edolo railway line, the first case of its kind in Italy, marks the beginning of the final phase ahead of the launch of commercial services in early 2027.
THE AUTHORISATION PROCESS – The completion of this authorisation process is the result of work that began as early as 2022 and involved the active participation and contribution of all stakeholders: in addition to FNM, FERROVIENORD and Trenord, these included manufacturer Alstom, ANSFISA (the National Agency for Railway and Road Infrastructure Safety), certification bodies, conformity assessment bodies, risk assessment bodies, research institutions and the entity responsible for maintenance. This broad technical and institutional partnership was required to address an innovative technology and a specific regulatory framework for hydrogen-powered railway vehicles.
“As Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi and President of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana have emphasised, this is a very important and historic day, not only for Lombardy, which is leading the way, but for the entire country,” comments FNM Chairman Andrea Gibelli. “Thanks to the support and decisive contribution of the Lombardy Region, we have consistently pursued this project with conviction. It will soon enable the introduction of new trains capable of reducing polluting emissions, in line with the principles of technological innovation, sustainability and development. H2iseO is an industrial and environmental project designed to decarbonise a non-electrified railway line, and it can now serve as a tangible example for the whole country. Special thanks go to all the professionals within the FNM Group who have worked tirelessly to achieve this result, as well as to our technical and institutional partners, particularly the Lombardy Region.”
“The approval of the Amis,” says FNM Managing Director Fulvio Caradonna, “marks the culmination of a long and complex industrial and administrative process that the FNM Group has pursued with determination and professionalism, with the increasingly imminent goal of transforming the mobility system of Valcamonica and the province of Brescia. Achieving this milestone, currently unique in Italy, requires expertise and vision. I would therefore like to express my sincere thanks to everyone across our companies and to our technical and institutional partners, particularly the Lombardy Region. Working together with dedication has made it possible to embark on this decisive phase towards commercial operation.”
“The introduction of the new trains on our railway line,” emphasises FERROVIENORD Chairman Pier Antonio Rossetti, “represents a unique opportunity to provide the local area with new environmentally friendly trains. Hydrogen has proved to be the solution best suited to the characteristics of a railway line that is particularly complex from an infrastructure perspective and serves an area of outstanding environmental and scenic value, such as the Sebino and Valcamonica regions. FERROVIENORD is involved in the construction of hydrogen production and distribution facilities, the technical and infrastructural upgrading of the stations concerned, and the development of the depot and maintenance facility, which have already been completed. The choice of hydrogen was not made as a symbolic gesture, but as a technological response to a specific context in which decarbonisation must take account of the actual characteristics of the infrastructure, the terrain and the service. I would also like to join in thanking all the technicians who continue to work tirelessly to bring this cutting-edge project, with its significant environmental and social value, to completion.”
THE PROJECT – Promoted by FNM, FERROVIENORD and Trenord, with the support of the Lombardy Region, the H2iseO project aims to develop an economic and industrial hydrogen supply chain in Valcamonica, starting with the mobility sector; initiate the area’s energy transition; and contribute to decarbonising a significant part of local public transport. The H2iseO project includes the introduction of 14 new hydrogen-powered trains to replace the entire diesel fleet currently operating on the line, the construction of hydrogen production and distribution facilities, the technical and infrastructural upgrading of the stations concerned, and the development of a depot and maintenance facility. H2iseO stems from a specific need: to progressively replace a diesel fleet on a non-electrified railway line while avoiding solutions that would have required extensive construction work, prolonged disruption to services and significant impacts on the surrounding area.
NEXT STEPS – Various activities are currently underway ahead of the launch of commercial train services, scheduled for early 2027. Static acceptance tests are being carried out on the trains at the Rovato site. These tests involve the first seven trains delivered (funded through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR) and are expected to be completed over the coming months, while an additional train will undergo the same tests in the second half of the year. Each train will then undergo dynamic acceptance tests at the Rovato site and along the Brescia–Edolo line. Once these tests have been completed, the trains will undertake a further series of test runs along the line, simulating a range of possible commercial operating conditions.
Commercial operation of the trains remains subject, as required by the Amis, to the completion of an experimental operating period. These are essential technical steps, consistent with the innovative nature of the project and the need to ensure the highest safety standards.
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