October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic coach and Germany‘s Rhine route to Cologne. From there we got back to Belgium. 

The name Fyra causes some emotions in Belgium in the Netherlands. These AnsaldoBreda V250 EMUs were a flop when introduced on the ‘Benelux‘ Brussels – Amsterdam route. There they only ran from 9 December 2012 to 17 January 2013. Just over a month!

After political intervention, protests and legal discussions these train sets returned to Italy. They were further developed and now under the name Trenitalia ETR 700 they are used for Frecciargento or Silver Arrow routes. Not to be confused with German Formula 1 cars, Mercedes F1 cars and McLaren F1 cars. 

AnsaldoBreda V250

The Trenitalia ETR 700, originally NS Hispeed V250, were delivered with a significant delay. Full commercial services with V250 started on 9 December 2012 but stopped only 39 days later on 17 January 2013, after the Belgian Railway Inspection Agency had suspended the operating license.

In August 2017, Trenitalia purchased all 19 V250 sets to expand its high speed fleet and rebranded them as ETR700s. After being refurbished, they entered service on Frecciargento services, on the Adriatic railway, between Milan and Lecce in 2019. There are less than twenty sets. 

The 8-car sets are designed to operate on 3 kV DC, 1.5 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead power supply, allowing operations on both Dutch and Belgian electrified networks. Traction is distributed with alternating powered and trailer vehicles in

Three of the coaches are used for first class accommodation, giving 127 first class seats out of a total seated capacity of 546. First class seating is in 2+1 formation, second in 2+2 formation. The design company Pininfarina also contributed to the design.

Red or grey?

Frecciargento is a high-speed train of Trenitalia, and a member of the train category Le Frecce. The name was introduced in 2012 after it had previously been known as Eurostar Italia. Frecciargento trains operate at speeds of up to 250 kph or 155 mph.

Our Silver Arrow was red. The brand name Frecciargento is being fazed out it seems. 

Business

ETR 700 trains are made up of eight coaches (with a total of 500 seats), three of which are Business, one Premium and four Standard (including the FRECCIABistrò, located in Coach 4). We chose Business. 

Danny did try the Fyra back in 2012-2013 and he says the interior hasn’t changed much, except the moquette of the seats and some information screens. 

The seats are comfortable but after a few hours you find it hard to choose which butt cheek to sit on. Legroom is okay. There are power outlets. 

Included in the fee are some drinks and snacks. 

So?

The train ride and the experience are not spectacular, but sampling the ‘Fyra’ made it noteworthy. We did hear some odd sounds and bangs which apparently were also present ten years ago.

But it did make us wonder if the Fyra couldn’t have been successful if properly prepared for service and not rushed. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Timothy (@bqtim)

Paris – Italy – Basel 2022

1. REVIEW | Restaurant Le Train Blue at Paris-Gare-de-Lyon.
2. REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
3. REVIEW | Just Hotel Milano.