FS Class ALe 803
| Company type | Electric multiple unit train |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Electric multiple units |
The ALe 803 represents a fleet of electric multiple units constructed during the 1960s for Italy's state railway company, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), and currently operated by Trenitalia.
Description
Each trainset consists of either three or four individual cars: one powered unit (ALe 803), one or two intermediate trailers (Le 803.100), and a driving trailer (Le 803.000).
The power cars are numbered from ALe 803.001 to ALe 803.053; trailers bear numbers Le 803.101 to Le 803.161; while the control cars range from Le 803.001 to Le 803.053.
History
Developed in the late 1950s, the ALe 803 units were intended to address growing commuter traffic challenges in Italy's major urban areas.
Their design was developed alongside the luxury ALe 601 railcars, sharing structural elements and components.
In 1959, FS commissioned an initial batch of twenty trainsets followed by a second order of fifteen units tailored for the Naples metropolitan railway service, featuring reduced seating capacity and more utilitarian interiors. Each consisted of three distinct cars: a motor car, a trailer, and a control car.
Deliveries took place between 1961 and 1963; the earliest sets were allocated to Rome, with services extending to Genoa's urban railway network by 1964.
Satisfied with their performance, FS placed an order in 1971 for a third production run comprising eighteen trainsets—ten three-car formations and eight four-car formations equipped with two intermediate trailers—delivered during 1972–1973.
Starting in the late 1970s, the ALe 803 units gradually gave way to newer electric multiple units such as the FS Class ALe 801/940 and ALe 724 models. By the year 2009, only fifteen remained operational; the final unit was withdrawn from service in 2015, specifically train number 803-033.
Derived units
The EN 300 trainsets utilized by SEPSA, manufactured in 1977, were developed based on the ALe 803 design.[1]
References
- ↑ Le napoletane... In: ″I Treni″ Nr. 320 (November 2009), p. 19.
Sources
- Giovanni Cornolò: Automotrici elettriche dalle origini al 1983. Duegi Editrice, 2011 (reprint of 1985). Pages 235–249.
- Attilio Di Iorio: ALe 803 per i pendolari. In: ″I Treni″ Nr. 319 & 320 (October & November 2009), pp. 27–31 & 14–19.