In the night between 13 and 14 July 2021 one of the new trains of the metro line 1 of Naples, on trial before being put into operation, caught fire. There was a blaze on the pantograph connecting the train to the electrical grid. For this reason the metro line 1 limits the route to the Piscinola-Dante section.
This new train has recently arrived in Naples from Bilbao and is one of the 20 that will come into operation on the Piscinola-Garibaldi section managed by ANM and which cost around 190 million euros.
The fire on the metro line 1 train
During the technical tests, at the University Station, smoke was noticed which then caused a flame and it seems that the cause of the accident is to be attributed precisely to a problem with the power grid and the cable that connects the train to the catenary has melted. It looks like a overload linked to a short circuit.
Because of the great heat produced, too part of the train structure broke up, but fortunately the fire alarm was triggered normally and i firefighters rushed in place to put out the flames.
At that point, the train was detached and towed back to the depot.
The Commission of the Ministry of Transport on board the train
The Ministerial Commission was on board to make one technical evaluation of trains which must be put into circulation and give the authorization to be put into operation.
Of course, the disappointment on the part of the ANM and the mayor of Naples Luigi De Magistris is enormous since it was the final test after the success of many previous technical tests.
