FS Class ALe 801/940 explained

ALe 801 / ALe 940
Interiorcaption:ALe 801/940 in the XMPR-livery
Manufacturer:Breda, Stanga
Yearconstruction:1975–1979
Yearservice:1976–2016
Numberbuilt:65 ALe 801
65 ALe 940
130 Le 108
Formation:4 cars for trainset
ALe 801 + Le 108 + Le 108 + ALe 940
Fleetnumbers:ALe 801.001–065
ALe 940.001–065
Le 108.001–130
Capacity:80 seats (ALe 801)
94 seats (ALe 940)
108 seats (Le 108)
Operator:Trenitalia
Carlength:26815frac=8NaNfrac=8 (ALe 801/940)
26110frac=8NaNfrac=8 (Le 108)
Height:3820mm
Wheeldiameter:1040mm (ALe 801/940)
940mm (Le 108)
Maxspeed:150km/h
Weight:70t (ALe 801/940)
41t (Le 108)
Traction:electric
Electricsystem:3 kV DC, overhead line
Collectionmethod:Pantograph
Uicclass:Bo′Bo′ (ALe 801/940)
2′2′ (Le 108)

The ALe 801/940 are a series of EMUs built in the 1970s for the Italian state railway FS, now used by its successor, Trenitalia.

Description

The ALe 801/940 are usually run in 4 car trains, with a power car at each end (ALe 801 and ALe 940) and two trailers (Le 108) in the middle.

History

In the early 1970s, Ferrovie dello Stato decided to improve the rolling stock for its commuter rail services.

As chopper technology was at that time only at a prototype-state (with the so-called ″Treni GAI″), FS decided to order EMUs with traditional electric equipment. The ALe 801/940 were ordered in 1973, as an evolution of the older ALe 803, with better capacity and acceleration.

These trains were delivered between 1975 and 1979 and put into service around the larger cities of Italy.

Originally painted in a showy orange and yellow livery, that gave them the nickname of "Arancia Meccanica" (Italian title of the movie A Clockwork Orange, in the late 1990s they received the new XMPR-livery, based on green and blue tones.

Sources