Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 31 - 4 May - Rimini - Bologna - Milano - Lugano - Basel - Strasbourg
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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 – SBB (Tilo)Train type: Stadler EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
️ (3kV dc, 15kV ac)
: 
🦽: (step free)
🛜:
️
️: ️
🧳:
(good Stadler design)
🧽:
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.
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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
Interrail is a bit odd these days. In neither Trenitalia Frecciarossa or IC, nor regional trains of Trenord or Trenitalia TPER has anyone wanted to scan the Interrail QR. Do their devices not scan it?
And a cursory look at a reservation isn’t very secure!
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@gspeed0689 @cycling_on_rails @jon Yes. They even sell you FSE tickets.
@partim @cycling_on_rails @jon they always say not purchasable for all the routes I want
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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…
@jon there's a press release now: https://www.grandest.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/05-04-26-cpresse-circulation-strasbourg-offenbourg-regiolis-tfa.pdf
Maybe they wanted to see if it actually happens
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@partim @cycling_on_rails @jon they always say not purchasable for all the routes I want
@gspeed0689 @cycling_on_rails @jon They indeed do not sell tickets to Switzerland. But for, e.g., Milano C to Chiasso (which doubles as an Italian station) the do.
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@TimWardCam this is where online ticketing helps
Oh and the forthcoming EU ticketing data regulation will assist further (forcing data sharing).
@jon Speaking of: Is there a way to buy only seat reservations online with Trenitalia? I wasn't able to find it on their website, only full tickets. I had to use the Interrail seat reservation service, which make things a little more expensive. Also, for one of the trains they insisted on snail-mailing the seat reservation ticket to me, which wasn't possible due to booking only a week in advance – wtf?
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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 The problems with timetables for this specific connection are endless. I’ve reported broken schedules at the border multiple times personally but somehow new issues pop up frequently.
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@partim @cycling_on_rails @jon they always say not purchasable for all the routes I want
@gspeed0689 The weird thing is that on Trenitalia app you can see the schedule and the stops for Milano-Lugano but real-time timetable only to the border station in Chiasso and you can't buy international tickets. On Trenord app you can see and buy Milano-Lugano and see the intermediate stops and the real-time timetable (only with RFI data, so real-time to the border and then who knows).
@partim @cycling_on_rails @jon
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I must remind myself it’s better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself it’s better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself it’s better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself it’s better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remind myself it’s better these annoying tourists take trains rather than something else
I must remi…
Thoughts and prayers.
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Interrail is a bit odd these days. In neither Trenitalia Frecciarossa or IC, nor regional trains of Trenord or Trenitalia TPER has anyone wanted to scan the Interrail QR. Do their devices not scan it?
And a cursory look at a reservation isn’t very secure!
@jon On our recent trip to France and Spain, the interrail app was scanned only once! (Out of 7 trains with -compulsory- reservation)
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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.@cycling_on_rails @jon @meganL I agree, truth be told the "meh" transit in Italy is the main reason why I'm looking to leave the country
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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 – SBB (Tilo)Train type: Stadler EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
️ (3kV dc, 15kV ac):
🦽: (step free)
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (good Stadler design)
🧽:
Interrail: (accepted)@jon I took a Tilo on my 2025 UK trip (stayed overnight in Strasbourg), I found them alright but the seating in first class is quite disappointing imo - 2+2 and no tables! Although the general design is quite nice
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@jon The problems with timetables for this specific connection are endless. I’ve reported broken schedules at the border multiple times personally but somehow new issues pop up frequently.
@stefanlindbohm @jon It's one of these frustrating cross-border cases where the service is genuinely awesome - modern trains, clockface scheduling, companies cooperating to have one end-to-end regional train between big cities - and then the passenger software is terrible.
Same with the Léman Express around Geneva, figuring out how to buy a single cross-border ticket (advanced mode: with discount cards on both sides) without wasting time splitting tickets is terrible.
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@stefanlindbohm @jon It's one of these frustrating cross-border cases where the service is genuinely awesome - modern trains, clockface scheduling, companies cooperating to have one end-to-end regional train between big cities - and then the passenger software is terrible.
Same with the Léman Express around Geneva, figuring out how to buy a single cross-border ticket (advanced mode: with discount cards on both sides) without wasting time splitting tickets is terrible.
@stefanlindbohm @jon That said, it looks like the SBB app can sell a Milano-Lugano ticket now. So it seems that it's just a missing Trenitalia integration?
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Interrail is a bit odd these days. In neither Trenitalia Frecciarossa or IC, nor regional trains of Trenord or Trenitalia TPER has anyone wanted to scan the Interrail QR. Do their devices not scan it?
And a cursory look at a reservation isn’t very secure!
@jon the Italians got a weird inspection system. They have like the seat map open on their device, when they check the ticket they must tap the correct seat and enter a specific digit of the 6-digit Code on the ticket, then it's checked.
But with the Interrail that only works for the reservations with that, not the Interrail itself. -
Interrail is a bit odd these days. In neither Trenitalia Frecciarossa or IC, nor regional trains of Trenord or Trenitalia TPER has anyone wanted to scan the Interrail QR. Do their devices not scan it?
And a cursory look at a reservation isn’t very secure!
@jon I’ve seen info from Interrail that qr codes can’t be scanned in Italy but I can’t find it right now
