Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 31 - 4 May - Rimini - Bologna - Milano - Lugano - Basel - Strasbourg
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Every time VP of Grand Est Philipps has uttered anything about these trains, the regional press has been all too happy to transcribe it
Today *when the train actually runs*: nothing (at least not yet)
Almost as if you need a press release to make news…
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 104 of 125
FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58
TrenitaliaTrain type: Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000 EMU, 8 carriages
️ (3kV dc, 25kV ac, 3kV dc)
: 
️
🦽:
(lift on platform and on board)
🛜: (needs registration)
️:
🧳:
(this carriage is ok - does it vary by carriage?)
🧽:
Interrail:
(needs compulsory reservation, costs €13)
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#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 104 of 125
FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58
TrenitaliaTrain type: Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000 EMU, 8 carriages
️ (3kV dc, 25kV ac, 3kV dc): ️
🦽: (lift on platform and on board)
🛜: (needs registration)️:
🧳: (this carriage is ok - does it vary by carriage?)
🧽:
Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs €13)FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58Distance: 214.4km
Average speed: 207km/h1 stops:
Milano CentraleThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.003718/10.273965
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FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58Distance: 214.4km
Average speed: 207km/h1 stops:
Milano CentraleThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.003718/10.273965
It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
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It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
@jon I'll call you if I find a reality where the Risorgimento never happened XD
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It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
@jon Interesting. What do you like in particular about trains in Italy?
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@jon Interesting. What do you like in particular about trains in Italy?
@meganL steady improvement of everything. Good regional and high speed trains. Dense timetables. Fair prices. Generally quite reliable. It’s solid all round. And there are many routes that have beautiful things to see out of the window.
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@meganL steady improvement of everything. Good regional and high speed trains. Dense timetables. Fair prices. Generally quite reliable. It’s solid all round. And there are many routes that have beautiful things to see out of the window.
@jon Ah, that's nice. Unfortunately, the window in my class covered two rows and an Italian woman pulled the shade down so I could not see as much. But what I saw was nice.
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@jon Ah, that's nice. Unfortunately, the window in my class covered two rows and an Italian woman pulled the shade down so I could not see as much. But what I saw was nice.
@meganL oh I’d just push it up again
(I’m aware being that much of a pain might not be everyone‘s style, but I can be very direct and German if I need to!) -
@tobiaswatzl.bsky.social Right. But towards
& 
it’s improving. Towards 
it’s annoying. Towards 
the infra is crap. -
@meganL oh I’d just push it up again
(I’m aware being that much of a pain might not be everyone‘s style, but I can be very direct and German if I need to!)@jon If they hadn't been Italian, I probably would have been more assertive, but it's literally "When in Rome..." there.
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It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
@jon That's more high speed trains in one station than we have on my entire continent.
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
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)
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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)
There were also some ETR500 and Giruno too. But those weren’t so neat to photograph.
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
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@reinouts it is indeed. I took one this morning. They run ok here!
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It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)
@jon The problem I had in Milan was buying a ticket. I knew where I wanted to go, but neither knew nor cared which company was running the train, and I was faced with a room full of dozens of ticket machines from different companies with no clue as to which one to use for my chosen destination.
So obvs local people have spotted a business opportunity here, and seeing that I looked a bit puzzled a tout came up to me to offer to guide me to the correct machine. Which he did - thanks! - but he was out of luck because I didn't have any euro cash on me, having just got off the plane.
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Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock
@jon I spot the infamous AlnsaldoBreda VR250, swiftly rebranded after its short-lived and catastrophic appearance in the Netherlands.
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@jon The problem I had in Milan was buying a ticket. I knew where I wanted to go, but neither knew nor cared which company was running the train, and I was faced with a room full of dozens of ticket machines from different companies with no clue as to which one to use for my chosen destination.
So obvs local people have spotted a business opportunity here, and seeing that I looked a bit puzzled a tout came up to me to offer to guide me to the correct machine. Which he did - thanks! - but he was out of luck because I didn't have any euro cash on me, having just got off the plane.
@TimWardCam this is where online ticketing helps
Oh and the forthcoming EU ticketing data regulation will assist further (forcing data sharing).
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@meganL steady improvement of everything. Good regional and high speed trains. Dense timetables. Fair prices. Generally quite reliable. It’s solid all round. And there are many routes that have beautiful things to see out of the window.
@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.
