Five new hybrid trains—powered by diesel and battery—equipped with video surveillance systems and, most importantly, capable of reducing average travel times, as requested by travelers. These new trains, operated by EAV, a Campania Regional company that manages the nearly 400 km of regional railway lines, entered service in the upper Caserta area on the Piedimonte Matese-Naples line. They were unveiled at the Piedimonte Matese station by Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca, EAV President Umberto De Gregorio, and Regional Councilor Luca Cascone, Chairman of the 4th Permanent Council Commission for Transport, Urban Planning, and Public Works. Also in attendance were Campania Regional Council President Gennaro Oliviero, Piedimonte Matese Mayor Civitillo, and other residents of the Matese area.
“The Region – says Cascone – is keeping its promises by respecting the points of its program, which was to focus on safety, technology and quality of travel, all to meet the needs of citizens. Within a few months, travel times from Piedimonte to Naples will be reduced by 30-40%”.
“The investment for the five new trains is 38 million euros,” explains De Gregorio, “plus another 17 million euros committed to adapting the signaling systems, the work on which will be completed by 2023, thus allowing us to move, already from the beginning of 2024, to a speed on the line of 80 kilometers per hour and take 90 minutes, while currently the trains on the Piedimonte-Naples route travel at 50 kilometers per hour and take two hours.
We have also invested 15 million in the same Matese area to strengthen the line in terms of the weight of the trains to be supported, going from 6 to 8 tons, 400 thousand euros for the 'Smart stations' at Alife and Dragoni, almost five million to eliminate six level crossings and 20 million for the tunnels. In total, the Campania Region has invested 96 million euros to modernize the entire railway service in the upper Casertano area”.
