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. In January 2023, the last ALe 724 trains, in use on the Naples metropolitan service, were finally withdrawn from service. Initially, Trenitalia's plan, before the withdrawal, was to use them as reserve stock, but in February of the same year, they were transported to the Maddaloni-Marcianise Smistamento yard awaiting demolition. == References ==