How reliable are Italian trains?

Trains in Italy are generally good value; frequent, but of mixed reliability. The railway market in Italy has been opened to competition, so on some high speed routes you have the choice between Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori or Italo (privately owned) and Trenitalia (state owned).



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High-speed trains always require reservations. Trenitalia, Italy's state-run rail network, operates most of the high-speed trains. Others are run by a private company, Italo. The two options are competitively priced and reasonably similar, though they sometimes serve different train stations.

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There isn't a huge difference in the overall travel experience between Italo and TrenItalia. They travel on the same tracks, and the speed is the same. (Both Italo and FrecciaRossa trains have a max speed of 300 km/hour, or 186 mph.) And the likelihood of delay is about the same.

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Trenitalia had already sparked controversy with a proposal that passengers in the cheapest class will not be allowed to use restaurant carriages or even venture into the more expensive carriages, prompting charges in the blogosphere and Italian media of promoting an economic apartheid.

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Italiarail shows a whole day's trains in the search results and can book up to 20 people at a time. Trenitalia's own website only shows a couple of hours-worth of trains at a time and can only book up to 5 people at a time.

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In most cases tickets are sold in unlimited numbers so the train can't sell out, although regional trains on a few routes now have limited numbers.

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Traveling by train in Italy means always traveling with carry-on luggage. You'll carry on board everything you have with you. It's your responsibility to bring your bags on board and stow them properly, which is a great incentive to packing light. There's no fee to bring luggage on the train.

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Often there is little difference in the ticket prices between the two. But even more often, TheTrainline offers discounted train tickets months in advance before the national train company itself ( Trenitalia, for example) has them up for sale on its own website.

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I've read quite a lot about the fact that Trenitalia-trains are usually late and often also for hours, so that connection trains cannot be reached.

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If you miss your train, simply approach the ticket counter, or Biglietteria, present your original ticket, and ask about your options. The representative will be able to advise you based on your individual ticket.

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Arrive at the train station 20 minutes before your train, longer if you want to purchase a snack or bottled water for the ride. Keep a close eye on luggage at all times. Look for large electronic boards with destinations. The tracks are usually not posted until 5 or 10 minutes before train time.

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First-class seating is more spacious, with fewer seats per compartment, and usually more quiet. There is more room for luggage and it will generally be less crowded as most passengers typically travel in second class.

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RITARDO: delay Sometimes abbreviated to “RIT” on the screens, this will tell you how many minutes a given train is running late. For example, if you are wanting to catch the 10:00 train and the screen lists a delay of 20 minutes you can expect your train to arrive at 10:20.

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There is rarely any discount for buying a regional train ticket in advance, but these are also the least expensive tickets within the Trenitalia system. If you buy your Regionale tickets online, they do not need to be validated before boarding.

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Trainline lets you choose your exact seats when booking Italian train tickets, while Omio only lets you choose a preference. (Window, middle seat, or solo seat.) They charge the same fee (roughly $2 per seat) that the train companies charge when you book seats with them directly.

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Some trains require seat reservations, and on other trains it's optional. If you're riding a train on which reservations are only recommended or completely optional and you don't have a reservation, you can sit in any available seat in the appropriate class you have booked.

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Every passenger of Trenitalia can take luggage and suitcases on board the train for free. Trenitalia luggage policy is not strict about the number of suitcases and dimensions limit, and it doesn't require any fee or extra fee in case of overweight or oversize luggage.

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In the airport, you can buy tickets for all your train journeys from: the Trenitalia ticket office, open 7 days a week from 6.45 a.m. to 10.12 p.m. the Self Service machines.

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