ATAC MA 100

The MA 100 is a rapid transit electric multiple unit originally introduced on the Rome Metro in February 1980 and currently operates on the Naples Metro.
==History==
The MA 100s are the first generation of rolling stock on Rome Metro Line A. The trains were ordered by STEFER for use on Line A, with consortium Intermetro SpA overseeing the design of the trains in addition to building the line. A total of 152 cars were built from 1976 to 1979; Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie manufactured the trains's bodies and similar parts, the electrical components by Ansaldo, the traction motors by Ercole Marelli and the bogies by TIBB.
The first trains were delivered in 1976, although Line A was nowhere near ready; to combat this, the trains were sent for tests on the Rome-Lido Railway; modifications were made to the trains for use on the Rome-Lido Railway as the MA 100s were designed for use on subway-like systems, such as the installation of a perch to allow their pantographs to extend and contact the overhead wires of the Rome-Lido Railway and spacers underneath the doors to extend to the platforms. It is thought that the MA 100s also operated passenger services during that time on the Rome-Lido Railway but this is not known with any certainty.
The MA 100 began operations on the now-completed Line A on 16 February 1980 with the line's opening; they were the only rolling stock operating on Line A until 1999 when they were joined by the cutting-edge and advanced MA 200 sets. Suffering from apparent overuse in their later years on Line A, both the MA 100 and MA 200 sets were withdrawn from service on Line A and replaced with the MA 300 sets in 2005, whereupon seven MA 100s were moved back to the Rome-Lido Railway for service; the MA 200s were also moved to the Rome-Lido Railway for service as well. The first MA 100 entered service on the Rome-Lido Railway on 1 October 2005. All seven trains were in service by 2007. In 2006, 24 MA 100 cars scheduled to be scrapped were purchased by MetroCampania NordEst for use on Line 11 of the Naples Metro; these cars underwent a thorough refurbishment program with asbestos removal and interior refurbishments and entered service in 2009.
A number of modifications to the MA 100s were made while in service on the Roma-Lido Railway, including the reinstallation of the pantograph perches and spacers and installation of a device to match the trains's height with the height of the platforms; some of the pantograph perches originally used in the 1970s were apparently retrieved for these modifications. The installation of the device led to structural issues with the trains's bodies, potentially leading to fatal cracks. The seven sets were originally intended for the high-speed Freccia del Mare services but were quickly relegated to local stopping services along the line due to the aforementioned issues and withdrawn from service in 2010 to have those devices removed; a plan for eight more sets to be transferred over was also canceled at the same time.
Following the removal of the devices the seven sets were returned to service but a lack of maintenance by ATAC led to frequent failures with the last MA 100 withdrawn from service on the Rome-Lido Railway on 1 September 2018, making the 24 cars operated by the Naples Metro the only MA 100 cars in service anywhere in Italy.
==Design==
Car bodies are constructed of an electrically-welded aluminum alloy. The trains are based on the 100 and 300 series cars operated by the Milan Metro, introduced a few years prior.
When originally built the trains were formed into four-car sets; all cars were powered. To increase the length of the trains, a fifth intermediate trailer car was added between the four power cars; the trains were lengthened again some time after by adding a sixth intermediate power car, leading to an unusual composition of five powered cars and one trailer car. This was apparently done to prevent the trains's rheostats from burning out due to repeated acceleration and braking. Further modifications removed one of the intermediate power cars and replaced it with a trailing car.
==Specifications==
The MA 100s use an Ansaldo rheostatic control system; some 40 cars had their traction systems replaced with more modern armature chopper control systems for smoother acceleration and current saving.
The MA 100s in operation on the Naples Metro retain the old rheostatic control system.
==Preservation==
RA.25 is preserved at Montesano-Buonabitacolo Station on the now-abandoned Sicignano-Lagonegro Railway, being used as additional dining space for a restaurant located in the station's premises.
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:Breda locomotives
Category:ATAC locomotives
Category:MCNE locomotives
Category:Rome Metro locomotives
Category:Naples Metro locomotives