Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 31 - 4 May - Rimini - Bologna - Milano - Lugano - Basel - Strasbourg
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@jon @meganL I agree it's good and improving. Some things could be better though:
- Frequency is top-notch on high-speed lines, but clockface scheduling would help on regional lines.
- Luggage space design is poor on high-speed trains. But there is an understanding that in practice some leeway is important for tourism.
- Official options are sometimes terrible with bicycles. e.g. 2 Milano-Napoli connections per day that are very slow and at inconvenient times. No bike spaces on night trains.@jon @meganL There are also some weird gaps in the timetable sometimes. e.g. Milano-Ventimiglia (of #CrossBorderRail relevance) has almost a 2h frequency, except the 13:10 service is missing (goes to Rome instead). So there's a 4h gap between 11:10 and 15:10 without an ideal connection. Likewise between 17:05 and 20:05.
Of course this is all way better than France, but in these cases Italy is so close to reaching the level of its Swiss & Austrian neighbors. ๐ค
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@cycling_on_rails @jon Oh, man, the luggage rack was a real problem for me in Frecciarossa 2nd class. I would happily have paid for a first class seat, but they were all sold out. That car had an end luggage rack but the 2nd class didn't. My bag was FAR too heavy to put up overhead even for abled folks. Impossible for me.
@meganL @jon And it's not like the overhead racks are large either on most Italian high-speed trains... Anything larger than a carry-on has often no official spot. Sometimes seats are repurposed as luggage racks: https://cycling-on-rails.com/train-bicycle-guide/images/italy/etr1000-luggage-on-seats.Ao3B9lQMLCZ5.jpg
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Itโs so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasnโt brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
@jon best trains in Europe IMHO
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@meganL @jon And it's not like the overhead racks are large either on most Italian high-speed trains... Anything larger than a carry-on has often no official spot. Sometimes seats are repurposed as luggage racks: https://cycling-on-rails.com/train-bicycle-guide/images/italy/etr1000-luggage-on-seats.Ao3B9lQMLCZ5.jpg
@cycling_on_rails @jon The train from Bologna Centrale to Lecce was PACKED. The only available seat was one executive class seat going for 300 euro. So unfortunately I could not put my suitcase in like that. The train employee had me put it in the passage between trains but that got moved by a parent later when they brought their gigantor baby buggy in.
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However these data problems here are incomprehensible
DB and SBB think the 12:43 train is to Lugano
Trenitalia thinks it only goes to the border station Chiasso
/ 
(It will go to Lugano)
@jon Hum the latest Trenitalia app (on Android) knows it's running, even until Locarno.
However, it's throwing 30-second spinners before reporting errors to the user. I don't remember it being that bad on the previous UX.
In any case, Trenitalia app doesn't let you purchase the end-to-end ticket. Maybe there's a Trenord app for that?
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There were also some ETR500 and Giruno too. But those werenโt so neat to photograph.
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remiโฆ
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
@jon I pick the yellow one in the middle!
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@jon Hum the latest Trenitalia app (on Android) knows it's running, even until Locarno.
However, it's throwing 30-second spinners before reporting errors to the user. I don't remember it being that bad on the previous UX.
In any case, Trenitalia app doesn't let you purchase the end-to-end ticket. Maybe there's a Trenord app for that?
@cycling_on_rails Iโm quite sure my iOS app is up to date. Hmmm.
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I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remiโฆ
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 105 of 125
R 80 (25518) / RE 80 (25518)
12:43 Milano Centrale - Lugano 13:58
Trenord โ SBB (Tilo)Train type: Stadler EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
๏ธ (3kV dc, 15kV ac)
: 
๐ฆฝ: (step free)
๐:
๏ธ
๏ธ: ๏ธ
๐งณ:
(good Stadler design)
๐งฝ:
Interrail: (accepted)
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@jon Hum the latest Trenitalia app (on Android) knows it's running, even until Locarno.
However, it's throwing 30-second spinners before reporting errors to the user. I don't remember it being that bad on the previous UX.
In any case, Trenitalia app doesn't let you purchase the end-to-end ticket. Maybe there's a Trenord app for that?
@cycling_on_rails @jon is it possible to buy TrenNord tickets with the TreinItalia app? I wasn't able to figure that out when I was in Milan last year
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I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remiโฆ
@jon You could upgrade to first class
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@cycling_on_rails Iโm quite sure my iOS app is up to date. Hmmm.
@jon Sounds like a very fresh update, this new version was released on May 2nd. So I expect they are doing a phased rollout between platforms. You're not missing much given all the bug reports in recent online reviews!
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
@jon maybe we will see them soon here in germany
https://www.heise.de/news/Konkurrenz-fuer-Deutsche-Bahn-Italienischer-Anbieter-Italo-plant-Markteintritt-11280559.html -
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself itโs better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remiโฆ
@jon "Better a drunkard in my train rather than at the steering wheel of his car"
Even when the consequences are rarely pleasant for passengers and cleaning agents
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@jon maybe we will see them soon here in germany
https://www.heise.de/news/Konkurrenz-fuer-Deutsche-Bahn-Italienischer-Anbieter-Italo-plant-Markteintritt-11280559.html@Mindmaster some dude* wrote about this in his newsletter
* - me
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@jon You could upgrade to first class
@Gaius91 I am in first class
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However these data problems here are incomprehensible
DB and SBB think the 12:43 train is to Lugano
Trenitalia thinks it only goes to the border station Chiasso
/ (It will go to Lugano)
@jon yeah trenitalia (almost?) always only displays all trains as starting / ending at border station.
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@Mindmaster some dude* wrote about this in his newsletter
* - me
@jon Perhaps I should occasionally check the newsletter.
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#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 105 of 125
R 80 (25518) / RE 80 (25518)
12:43 Milano Centrale - Lugano 13:58
Trenord โ SBB (Tilo)Train type: Stadler EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
๏ธ (3kV dc, 15kV ac):
๐ฆฝ: (step free)
๐:๏ธ๏ธ: ๏ธ
๐งณ: (good Stadler design)
๐งฝ:
Interrail: (accepted)R 80 (25518) / RE 80 (25518)
12:43 Milano Centrale - Lugano 13:58Distance: 74.5km
Average speed: 60km/h8 stops:
Monza
Seregno
Como Nord Camerlata
Como S. Giovanni
Chiasso
Mendrisio
Paradiso
LuganoThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.746444/9.106293
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@cycling_on_rails @jon is it possible to buy TrenNord tickets with the TreinItalia app? I wasn't able to figure that out when I was in Milan last year
@gspeed0689 @cycling_on_rails @jon Yes. They even sell you FSE tickets.
