FS Class ALe 724

The ALe 724 are a class of EMUs of the Italian Ferrovie dello Stato, projected for suburban and regional services.

History
In 1978 the Ferrovie dello Stato received a series of prototype-EMUs, the so-called "Treni GAI", that had for the first time a chopper technology instead of the classical electric equipment.

As the tests of the "treni GAI" were positive, in May 1979 the FS ordered a series of EMUs derived from them. The lombard regional railway company FNM had already ordered in 1978 some similar railcars, numbered E.750.

The FS ordered 60 trains, each made of 4 elements: 30 trains had two railcars and two trailers (ALe 724 + Le 884 + Le 883 + ALe 724) and due to their high acceleration were destined to the suburban services; the other 30 trains had only one railcar, with a driving trailer on the other side (ALe 724 + Le 884 + Le 884 + Le 724) and were destined to the regional services. Each train can carry 320 seated people.

The trains were delivered from 1982 to 1984; 20 trains in the suburban composition went to the Naples metropolitan service substituting the older ALe 803. The other EMUs went to Milan and Turin.