Inflation, the skyrocketing cost of oil, transportation cost increases, and the weak dollar have been the scourge of overseas travel for many months. These price hikes have unfortunately also affected travel by rail in Italy.
Indeed, Trenitalia has very recently raised fares for Eurostar Italia (ES), Eurostar Alta Velocita' (AV), Intercity Plus (ICP) and Intercity (IC) trains, but fares for local (commuter) trains (classified "Regionale", or "R") have increased only slightly, and from a much lower base.
A one-way ticket on the ES train between Rome and Florence now costs over $55 U.S. Dollars. However, the local train on the same route (departures EVERY TWO HOURS) now costs LESS THAN HALF that of the ES train: 15.80 Euros for the local train versus 36.10 Euros for the ES (both second class). A first class seat on the local train (24.25 Euros) also costs less than a second class seat on the ES. Indeed, you can purchase TWO tickets on the "R" train between Rome and Florence for less than the cost of ONE ticket on the ES train!!! Put another way, you can travel roundtrip between Rome and Florence on the "R" train for less than a one-way ticket on the ES.
What's the hitch??? Why even consider taking the local train over the ES? Here are some things to consider:
1. The ES train is ALL RESERVED, whereas the local train is UNRESERVABLE. But, because the local train originates in Rome and in Florence, you should have NO PROBLEM whatsoever finding a seat when boarding in either Rome or Florence.
2. The ES train takes at least 1 hr. 36 minutes, while the local train 3 hrs. 37 minutes (2 hours more). Some travellers will avoid the local train for this reason alone, while others won't mind a more leisurely trip.
3. You save over 20 Euros per ticket by taking the local train. A party of four will save over 80 Euros! That's over $30 U.S. dollars per ticket!!!
4. The local train stops at some very interesting places such as Orvieto, Chiusi, Castiglione del Lago (Lake Trasimeno), Camucia (Cortona) and Arezzo. You can get off the train and reboard a later local train, as long as you complete your trip within 6 hours of first boarding (the time stamp on the ticket when punching the ticket in the little yellow machine). By contrast, you CANNOT break a journey when travelling on an ES train. (Breaking the journey at Orvieto or Arezzo is particularly appealing). Of course, if you have luggage, you'll encounter a problem, as virtually no stopover station has luggage facilities (except Orvieto - a private luggage hold service near the station).
5. The local train transports mostly commuters, so you gain a better "feel" for the locals than on the ES train, which transports many tourists and occasional travellers. Some English-speaking travellers have expressed a preference for the local train for this reason.
6. You don't have to worry about securing seats in advance on the local train: just buy the ticket any time up to 60 days in advance of your planned travel date, punch the ticket in the little yellow machine before boarding, and go!!!
7. You recognize the local train on the Trenitalia website by its designation "R" in the timetables between Rome and Florence. By clicking on the train number, you can see all intermediate stops.
8. There is no food or beverage service available on the local train, so remember to bring some on board.
9. First class seats on the local train are rather more comfortable than second class, wider (3 versus 4 across), and softer (cloth seat surfaces versus hard vinyl and rubber), although first class costs 53% more than second class. There are usually only one or two first class railcars per train (often placed in the middle of the convoy). On a 3.5-hour trip, first class may be sensible for some.
10. The local train makes over one dozen stops between Rome and Florence. Most ES trains are nonstop.
11. The ES train is a little quieter and smoother than the local train, and travels at a much higher speed (indeed so fast that some travellers report very slight ear discomfort).
12. Most railcars of the local train are now air conditioned. If you happen upon one without air conditioning, quickly move to another railcar if you expect hot weather!
13. If you're seated in second class on the local train and feel the hard rubber seat frame pressing uncomfortably against your thighs, change seats, as the middle of the seat may have sagged too much.
14. The second class fare on the local train between Rome and Florence is not much greater than the cost of a taxi ride in central Rome.
15. The local train stops at both Roma Tiburtina and Firenze Campo di Marte stations, whereas the ES skips both. Some travellers prefer to use Roma Tiburtina Station if connecting to or from Fiumicino Airport.
16. All trains in Italy are non-smoking, including the "R" local trains.
OPINION: Clearly, the "R" train is not for everyone. Many travellers are on very tight schedules, and would prefer to dedicate two additional hours to sightseeing than to sitting on a train. Others won't like the numerous en-route stops. Still others may want to take the fastest, quietest and most modern train wherever available. Yet, there are also travellers on tight budgets, who would be very interested in saving $30 per ticket, or more. Still others might be interested in a more "leisurely" experience of travelling on a slower commuter train.
NOTE: There are also "R" trains between several other important pairs of cities: Milan/Turin; Milan/Verona/Venice; Bolzano/Trento/Verona/Bologna; Venice/Trieste; Venice/Bologna; Milan/Genoa; Genoa/Pisa; Pisa/Rome; Rome/Naples; Naples/Reggio di Calabria; Messina/Palermo; Messina/Siracusa, just to name a few. Look for these trains on the Trenitalia website when researching your options.
I totally agree with GAC's support for the Regional trains. We just spent April in northern Italy, and spent the month travelling to places on and around the Milano-Venezia line. We used Regionali all the time. Easy, comfortable, much cheaper than Eurostar or Intercity, and with the big advantage that you actually fell like your'e travelling on an Italian train in Italy! (that is, your fellow travellers are mostly Italian).
A one-way ticket on the ES train between Rome and Florence now costs over $55 U.S. Dollars.
The same is true of the Naples/Rome route. I didn't look before I bought a ticket in May at a automatic machine at Termini, not realizing the current big cost deferential. Last year the difference in cost was small. I just got my credit card bill and and 2 tickets from Rome to Naples on the ES train was $118. The cost on the way back was a lot a less (I can't remember but it was something like $58) because it took 30 minutes more and we made a couple of stops.
Posts: 3849 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
You took the Eurostar Alta Velocita' (AV) train, which costs 36.10 Euros for a second class ticket between Rome and Naples. It's the MOST expensive and fastest train on this route. But just look at the price differentials for trains between Rome and Naples (all fares are for second class, at the "standard" rate):
As you can see, the slow train ("Regionale" or "R") costs less than ONE THIRD that of the AV high speed train, and ONE HALF that of the ICP train. You can save up to $40 U.S. Dollars by taking the "Regionale" train between Rome and Naples, yet it's only one hour more in travel time. However, it does make many stops, carries only second class railcars, and you can't reserve a seat (but the train originates in Rome and Naples, so getting a seat should not be a problem).
Take a look at the huge price savings on other routes within Italy when travelling on a "Regionale" train!!! If time is not an issue, consider the "slow" alternative.
However, the R train is not a good idea if you are trying to do the Pompeii in one day from Rome. Possibly on the way back but even then you will get back significantly later. As in all travel $ = time. It is an incontrovertible fact. If I want to stay longer I have to have more money. If I want the shorter time to have the most bang for the buck then I'll do things like taxis, fast trains and intercity air versus train.
However, the R train is not a good idea if you are trying to do the Pompeii in one day from Rome
It would add 30 minutes there and 30 minutes on the way back. So it would add an hour to the total trip. One would have to decide if it was worth it, but if a family group of 4 was traveling, the extra cost could mount up fast.
Posts: 3849 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
OPINION: Clearly, the "R" train is not for everyone. Many travellers are on very tight schedules, and would prefer to dedicate two additional hours to sightseeing than to sitting on a train.
Even this depends on the route and your schedule. There are regionals that can end up quicker in total time. One leaves from near here and travels south to the next regions capital [plus every wide spot in the road in between] The faster trains don't do the whole trip. So you need to take one train. Get off. Wait for the next. Finish the trip. The faster train move quicker but you're stuck at a station for possibly two hours. So you save 30 minutes in train time but your time from start to end is longer.
Then you've got schedule issues. If the faster train leaves at a time you'd rather be doing something else then the regional can be better.
I have been holding you, GAC, in a profound respect for quite some time because your information on transport is so thorough. On this, however, we part. Some R trains are worth the change, yes. But it is really important to look hard at the schedule, because for example, some R trains from Florence to Arezzo take 1 hr 30 min to do the 34 min ride on the IC train. I blindly bought tickets from Arezzo to Monterosso once, and was not fazed by the R trains, which turned out to be broken, no air conditioning, with temperatures inside way into the 40s, required many changes and were so slow I was tempted to get off in Pisa.
Look hard at the schedule and think hard about the weather. Were I 22 and roaming Italy with a tote bag I'd do it for the savings. It's only sweat and time, but nowadays I avoid the R trains just because of how bad they CAN be.
In the posting above, Judith points out two important points about the "R" trains in Italy which I intentionally omitted from my original posting, viz.
1. Do check the schedules carefully, because some "R" trains do indeed make many more stops than others, and take considerably more time to reach their destination. However, other "R" trains are much faster, and indeed don't take that much longer than the IC and ICP trains (some of these are trains that used to be classified "D" or "IR" but which are now simply called "R"). You must look very carefully at the schedules and identify the "R" trains to take and perhaps to avoid.
2. Some older and unrefurbished railcars of "R" trains are indeed embarassing to mention. Broken and/or soiled seats, lots of dirty windows, graffiti on the exterior metal, torn window curtains, broken or nonexistent air conditioning or heating, filthy or out-of-service toilets. However, other, state-of-the-art or recently refurbished railcars, are quite acceptable, in some cases no different from those of IC and ICP trains. It can sometimes be "hit-or-miss" on some of these "R" trains. (For that matter, some unrefurbished IC trains can also leave MUCH to be desired, and you're paying more for these faster trains). Indeed, Corriere della Sera recently posted an undercover video of a long-distance night (Espresso) train between Milan and Agrigento, which showed the filthy washrooms and more, but no need to go into details....
HINT: If you come upon an unacceptable washroom, don't get discouraged; search for another one on the train, in a different railcar.
Nevertheless, I do not discard the "R" trains for the above reasons, and still believe that they can represent a very good "deal" for travellers on a budget, who understand that they won't find the same level of service on "R" trains as they do on many ES trains (but BEWARE, I've travelled on several ES trains whose washrooms were as filthy as they come, and on one IC train without heating in winter!).
Saving $40 per ticket on a popular tourist route can sometimes cause people to "hold their nose" and "look the other way"!!!
Also remember, not all the "R" trains are as bad as the ones which Judith was unlucky to have taken (and not all IC/ICP/ES trains will meet your expectations, either).
