Milano Porta Garibaldi

[Nicholas43]

Paris-Milano trains, Italotreno trains, and many Frecce, use Porta Garibaldi. Is this (some?) operators' choice - eg because they can run through Milano without reversing? Or is it lack of capacity at Centrale? Or is it RFI being awkward to SNCF and Italotreno?

 

[Oscar]

I think it's a combination of all three reasons.

 

[johnnychips]

If you read Tim Parks Italian Ways an excellent book about travels on Italian trains, he reckons FS are being spiteful by making rival trains Italo terminate at PG.

 

[Gordon]

I agree its a combination of the two.

Originally PG was used for convenience as it is a though station. The situation may now be similar to cheapy airlines using non mainstream airports

 

[glbotu]

Well the Italo HS trains go to Roma Ostiense instead of Termini (which is quite a way out), I'd assume that FS tend to shove them around more than their own services.

 

[williamn]

Why make SNCF go there though? I wanted to plan a journey to Venice and you have to transfer between the two stations now in Milan now to do this.

 

[johnnychips]

Is the SNCF train terminating there or going on, thus avoiding a reversal at Centrale?

 

[williamn]

Terminating, from Paris.

 

[Nicholas43]

Why make SNCF go there though? I wanted to plan a journey to Venice and you have to transfer between the two stations now in Milan now to do this.

It does look like RFI being unhelpful to SNCF.
For a daytime Paris-Venezia journey, it can be better to change at Torino Porta Susa.

 

[sekimoke]

It does look like RFI being unhelpful to SNCF.
For a daytime Paris-Venezia journey, it can be better to change at Torino Porta Susa.

RFI doesn't even let the TGV services use the Torino-Milano high speed line!

I think the animosity between RFI/Trenitalia and SNCF stems back quite far, at least from when the ETR460s used to run into Lyon but the Italian services were terminated...

 

[williamn]

Seems a bit pathetic really. Never mind the customer being inconvenienced, as long as the companies can have petty spats.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Seems a bit pathetic really. Never mind the customer being inconvenienced, as long as the companies can have petty spats.

Well, SNCF are shareholders in NTV/Italo, the high-speed competitor to Trenitalia.

 

[johnnychips]

Well, SNCF are shareholders in NTV/Italo, the high-speed competitor to Trenitalia.

Aha!