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2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Treno FS ETR 200 (1936): Publiphoto· Public domain
- 2. Rimessa ferroviaria pistoia 64: Jollyroger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The ETR 200 (for "Elettro Treno Rapido 200", in Italian meaning "Rapid Electric Train series 200") is an Italian electric multiple unit (EMU) introduced in 1936 and withdrawn from revenue service in 1997. They are considered the first high-speed trains by some railway historians. On 20 July 1939 the ETR 200 unit 212 obtained the railway speed record, between Bologna and Milan.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 89 years ago, in 1937.
- Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
- 1.1 MW is about 12 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 19 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 62.8 m long: about 14 cars parked nose to tail.
- Seats 104: 2 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Served for 60 years (1937–1997).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1937
- in service from
- 1937
- retired
- 1997
- status
- retired
- number built
- 18
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- builders
- Breda
- operators
- Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
- top speed
- 160 km/h
- power
- 1.1 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 3000 V DC catenary
- formation
- Three-car trainset
- length
- 62.8 m
- weight
- 117 t
- capacity
- 104 passengers
- Dutch name
- ETR 200
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q775023, Wikipedia: FS Class ETR 200 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.