Trenitalia, the train recovers current when it brakes

Recover energy from braking. Electric traction trains, such as Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa 1000, offer this possibility. As the train slows down and brakes along the track, it generates a treasure trove of current that can be stored or transferred to other locomotives traveling along the same network. For this reason, since 2021, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana – at the head of the country’s web of tracks – has been perfecting its prototype that takes advantage of this opportunity. Thus it allows to reduce (by 10, sometimes even by 15%) the consumption of the substations. And in this way the substations – electrical nodes that take high voltage energy and transform it into energy suitable for moving trains – are less under pressure.

In transport, sustainability passes through man’s inventions. Great inventions, others more common. A contribution comes from Hitachi Rail STS and Alstom Ferroviaria, which supply Trenitalia with commuter trains. The Rock regional train, for example, saves 30% energy. How many times, while waiting for a person on the street, do we leave the car engine running. The locomotives of the past were like this: always on, in all functions, at any moment of the journey. Even when they were still. Now the Smart Parking function automatically blocks some on-board functions while the Rock makes a short stop, starting with the air conditioning on milder days. The Blues, a three-legged hybrid train, also travels in a more sustainable way. For short distances, it moves with the diesel engine. Along the way it mainly uses the electricity grid while it activates the on-board batteries when it approaches inhabited centers or at stops. The end result is an energy cut of up to 50%.

A contribution also comes from hygiene. The companies that clean the trains mostly use super-concentrated products, with the Community Ecolabel mark, diluted at the time of use to pollute less. More generally, the Ferrovie group is posing the problem of reducing water consumption. From stationary drinking fountains to train toilets, this scarce resource is indispensable for travellers. The first positive results can be glimpsed, with a reduction in use from 17.2 million cubic meters in 2020 to 16.7 million (in 2022).

Everest, height 8848.86 meters. Imagine a mass of paper large enough to equalize this mountain. Of paper, 140 tons would be needed. Paper that could all be saved in a year if every Trenitalia traveler used only the digital ticket, without printing it anymore. A practice that the railway company suggests both for occasional journeys and for those who instead make a subscription.

Therefore, the habits of passengers also count, and they certainly need to be helped to choose sustainable behaviours. In this sense, Trenitalia is trying to increase agreements with companies that allow you to continue your journey (polluting less) once you get off the station.

For this reason, the agreements with Helbiz were born, which makes electric scooters available in various airports (also in Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Palermo, Catania). Registration with the Helbiz app alone, but with a Trenitalia customer code, entitles you to two free 20-minute rides (cost to unlock the vehicle not included). There are also agreements with Cooltra (electric scooters), Tier (scooters and bikes), Enjoy and Maggiore (for electric cars).