FIP Italy - regional trains with free tickets

[beruskovova]

Hello,
we are planning to travel around north of Italy with FIP tickets & FIP card for 50% discount. (I have nowhere to ask and I assume that FIP conditions will be similar across countries... It is very hard to get this information from my resources.)

We are planning to travel Venice-Verona-Milano-Turin. I was told I can use only trains of Trainitalia, and only Treni regionali without additional fee. For trains with higher quality I must pay something, but I get some discount. As we are students, we would love to use as many regional trains as possible.

My problems:
* I read somewhere, that in Italy, all the regional trains were taken over by some other company (Trein Nord) that does not accept FIP. Is that true? Can anyone confirm that?
* How do you know the responsible company? http://www.trenitalia.com/ Here I get connections, but I cannot find anything about the company that runs the trains...

I would be really glad for any info you could provide, even if the conditions on fip cards are different (and I'm sorry for possible errors I wrote, I am not native).

V.

 

[maxiboy]

From Deutsche Bahn's RailGuide, a comprehensive retailing manual for rail appointed travel agents:

"Tickets for regional trains and Trenitalia intercity trains that do not require a reservation are issued as NRT domestic tickets."
=> These trains are displayed in the bahn.de rail journey information system without a notice or with the notice "Bitte reservieren" (please reserve a seat). The RailGuide doesn't mention that regional trains have to be operated by Trenitalia so I do not believe it's an issue.

Tickets for journeys within Italy can be also issued by DB Travel Centres and DB Rail Appointed Travel Agents (FIP discount: Leistungs-ID 2017).

Also keep in mind that tickets issued by Trenitalia in Italy must be validated at the station / platform before boarding or the traveller will be treated as without a valid ticket.

 

[92002]

Hello,
we are planning to travel around north of Italy with FIP tickets & FIP card for 50% discount. (I have nowhere to ask and I assume that FIP conditions will be similar across countries... It is very hard to get this information from my resources.)

We are planning to travel Venice-Verona-Milano-Turin. I was told I can use only trains of Trainitalia, and only Treni regionali without additional fee. For trains with higher quality I must pay something, but I get some discount. As we are students, we would love to use as many regional trains as possible.

My problems:
* I read somewhere, that in Italy, all the regional trains were taken over by some other company (Trein Nord) that does not accept FIP. Is that true? Can anyone confirm that?
* How do you know the responsible company? http://www.trenitalia.com/ Here I get connections, but I cannot find anything about the company that runs the trains...

I would be really glad for any info you could provide, even if the conditions on fip cards are different (and I'm sorry for possible errors I wrote, I am not native).

V.

Tren Nord is an open access operator and not related to FS. So an
FIP ticket would not be available.

FIP would be available on FS local and Regional services and Intercity
services that do not need a reservation.

However FIP could be used on other services, as long as a reservation is
held for the train.

 

[steevp]

Not sure if this a lot of help, but February last year we went A'osta (arriving by bus from Chamonix) to Ivrea, then Ivrea to Turin on a local train using a FIP pass. We had to buy a reduced ticket on the Turin to Paris service as that is a joint company (Trenitalia and SNCF?) bought through Bahn at Surbiton. Previously we travelled to Ivrea via Switzerland and Milan and used the normal Treniltalia service from Milan to Turin on purpose to use the FIP pass. The faster expresses were run by a different company and would involve a fare. I may have our itinerary for both trips if anyone is really interested. Would recommend the bus trip through the Alps (partly via the tunnel) from Chamonix to A'osta and A'osta and Ivrea as places to stop off in. Also Paris to Chamonix via TGV, local express and narrow gauge esp. in the snow.

 

[grid56126]

Love the country and have been quite a bit over the last few years. To reiterate what has been said.

Trenord in Milano is a private operator and like all other (there are many) operators in Itlay, FIP boxes / reductions are not valid. Ticket prices are however very cheap and I did a few private lines on my last visit and journeys of a couple of hours cost a smattering of Euros.

All local services operated by state railways (FS) that are designated "R" or "RV" are completely "free" with FIP boxes and are a good way of seeing Italy properly, away from the high speed lines.

IC and EC designated trains require a reservation / supplement BEFORE YOU BOARD or there is a bigger supplement and these vary in cost depending on distance and route / time travelled, a bit like TGVs in France. I did a two hour trip last time (which I paid for by the skin of my teeth two minutes before the train arrived) which cost 2.50 Euros from Orte - Firenze Rifredi.

High speed services are a different ball game altogether and a with dated box, supplements from Roma to Milano on an August Saturday cost over forty pounds and weekday local trips of just half an hour cost up to fifteen quid. I had no choice with the long distance runs, but local trips have just been enquiries to see the lay of the land and always resulted in a more leisurely "R" or "RV" trip.

Advance fares at full public fare will almost definitely be cheaper than a FIP and a newish private company "Itlaotreno" have introduced some competition, as well as good looking trains.

The brilliant www.E656.net website has a brilliant database.

Go to Orario 2013/2014 and click on "Cerca Treno / Prospetto"
There are two boxes to type into. The left is for stations and the right for train numbers.

If you search by station it gives a full list of trains with their designation on the left and the train number is clickable which then shows the booked power !

This does NOT show private operators.

Enjoy

 

[33056]

Italy – FS (*GF)
Reservations are compulsory for travel on long-distance services (ie those designated AV (Frecciarossa, Frecciarossa4L, and Frecciargento), Frecciabianca, EC, EN, IC, ICN) and supplements, which are included in the Global Fare, are payable.
Free travel without restriction or supplement is available on services designated R or RV.
Global fares are payable for travel on the night services between Italy and Austria via Tarvisio.
FIP documents are not valid on the Leonardo Express rail link to/from Rome Fiumicino airport, nor are they valid on the rail link (Trinacria Express) to/from Palermo Airport.
On Frecciarossa, Frecciarossa4L, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca services the appropriate FIP facilities are valid only in Standard (2nd) and Premium (1st) class.
In general, FIP facilities are not valid on services provided by other operators in Italy.
Note in particular that FIP facilities are not valid in the Milan area on R and RE services operated by Trenord – even if the trains concerned have FS markings.
However, FS coupons are valid (in conjunction with a supplementary fare) on the joint 2-hourly ÖBB-DB AG service that operates to/from Northern Italy via Brenner

See Travel Tips for Europe PDF file on the Rail Staff Travel section of the ATOC website.

 

[dutchflyer]

some more notes:
1.even though IC and ICN does not require REServation as such, you are highly recommended to get them, as most seats are RES but not marked, locals always get tickets with that included and youre bound to stand-part of the way. Its only 3 eur/ride. Easy to do on the 6-lingo machines.
2.treNORD is nothing ''private'' its even state-but the local state, Lombardia, which always had its own system=FNM and was so much dissatisfeid with the state FS, that they merged the local services in their areas. They DO accept the normal INTernational tickets on several routes, like Milano-Como-Chiasso.
In Lombardia one can buy 1 or 3-day ALlLlocal transp. (also bus, tram, metro) tickets for a low price-I think thats even a better buy as your staff-thingies.
3.try to get a ride on the Milano Peter-Witt trams-dating from 1920!

 

[beruskovova]

Thank you all for great tips! And grid56126's link is awesome!

 

[grid56126]

Thank you all for great tips! And grid56126's link is awesome!

One other thing to remember is that a lot of local trains, away from major cities, get altered (don't run!) in high season, July / August due to annual holidays.

 

[beruskovova]

Oh, like noone wants to travel when it is summer. They do the same thing in Prague Thanks for warning. I hope it'll be ok in September. And I will also be aware of strikes

 

[grid56126]

Oh, like noone wants to travel when it is summer. They do the same thing in Prague Thanks for warning. I hope it'll be ok in September. And I will also be aware of strikes

The trains that don't run tend to be local services used by local people to travel to local places, often making a track bash a pain and getting loco hauled around Firenze a LOTTERY! Getting to and from Firenze, Roma and Pisa for tourist reasons is never a problem!

Anyway moving on, posted on a few forums today are links to the FS timetables (FS only) and as these are not easy to get over there, well worth downloading and sticking on a tablet....

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms-file/allegati/trenitalia/servizi_per/DigitaleTUTTITALIA.pdf

This link takes you to regional timetables:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=43af041b5ff45410VgnVCM1000008916f90aRCRD

This is for Eurostars
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms-file/...tale_2014/Eurostar_alta_velocita_ giu2014.pdf

Enjoy....