ETR 500 Frecciarossa

The development of the ETR500 High Speed train was commissioned to Giugiaro by Trenitalia, the main Italian railway operator, in 2010.

The team led by Fabrizio Giugiaro analyzed the characteristics of the competition, the passenger needs, the constraints Trenitalia had in its passenger and catering proposition, and tried to get a 20-year-old train to remain the benchmark for high-speed in the country. It did.

Differentiating the existing classes with subtle but very perceivable details such as glass dividers for privacy and comfort, seat improvement, better lighting and adding two classes at the top and bottom of the commercial offer kept the ETR500 the most successful and iconic train in the Italian high-speed service.

The team followed all aspects of project development for the new interiors, directly appointed by Trenitalia. It collaborated directly with Trenitalia's specialized departments, with weekly meetings at their Vicenza headquarters, always in the presence of top management from engineering and marketing departments: a constant interaction between teams over a 10-month process from the start of design to the maiden voyage of the first finished train (still a record today).

The activities the team performed were concept, preliminary and detail design, the complete engineering of the new interior parts, the interface with Trenitalia’s suppliers involved in the project, the interface and project management of the manufacturer’s work, and the presence with its representatives in all the interest groups involved, such as labor unions and trade associations.