Milan to Bologna in One Hour
Italy’s New High Speed Train Cuts Travel Time in Half
Picture it: Arrive from the US at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. Hop onto a bus right outside the luggage area and go straight to the city’s grand Stazione Centrale. Step inside, check the big overhead board for the track number and board a fast train. An hour later you’re pulling into foodie heaven – Bologna, with time to drop your luggage and have a shower – maybe even a nap – before tucking into lunch. And you’ve had a scenic ride through the farms along the Po Valley to whet your appetite.
The new train, which began operating in early December, is part of an initiative by Trenitalia, the Italian rail system, to develop a high-speed link between Milan and Rome, offering a three-hour alternative to flying between the business and political capitals. While it will offer serious competition to the air option for business travelers, who can avoid traveling to and from airports outside the cities, it is likely to be heavily used by pleasure travelers, too.
Like most other high-speed trains, such as France’s TGV, the high-speed train will require a surcharge, plus the usual modest seat reservation charge (highly recommended, especially during peak travel times) when used with a Eurail Pass. But it will still represent a value to those leisure travelers looking for a quick journey between Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and their own first supper in Bologna.
The 130-mile trip between the two cities usually takes more than twice as long by regular trains.
This is not the first high-speed train route inside Italy. The Eurostar (ES) trains connect major Italian cities including Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence and Naples with fast trains, cutting the time between Milan and Venice to 2 hours 45 minutes and that between Rome and Venice to 4 1/2 hours. But the new line is still faster, as will be the new Milan-Rome line, which is expected to be operating by late 2009.
Like airlines, the high speed trains can be reserved online, using paperless tickets instead of tackling the ticket machines or standing in line in the railway stations. Be sure to carry a copy or at least make a note of the seat reservation before boarding. The information will be checked by the conductor, against the information in a handheld computer.
Despite the many jokes about things never being on time in Italy – and Italians do take an admittedly relaxed view of time – trains do run pretty much as scheduled. Apart from the occasional strike, when train service may stop entirely for a day or so, trains arrive and depart pretty promptly.
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