IC580 Terni-Milano Centrale

[Jamesrob637]

I have seen a cheap (£12) fare on Trenitalia 580 from Firenze/Florence to Milano on Saturday 09 May. Two questions if I may:

A) is this a loco-hauled or Frecciabianca HST-like set?
B) will it be worth 10 Euro to upgrade to First for the nearly four hour journey? I don't think food is served, especially at weekends.

 

[Mag_seven]

A) is this a loco-hauled or Frecciabianca HST-like set?

As the service does not appear to use the high speed lines I "suspect" it is hauled.

B) will it be worth 10 Euro to upgrade to First for the nearly four hour journey? I don't think food is served, especially at weekends.

I would just for the extra space but if its anything like the hauled IC train I did from Palermo to Rome last year (journey time 11 hours) I wouldn't expect any refreshments at all - not even a buffet car or trolley. This train might be different of course.

 

[30907]

https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=TI&kategorie=IC&cislo=580&nazev=&rok=2019
Last year's booked formation, probably not changed much.

 

[Mag_seven]

https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=TI&kategorie=IC&cislo=580&nazev=&rok=2019

That's a good website - promptly bookmarked!

 

[Bletchleyite]

The buffet second seems to be the one to go for - 2+1 seating!

 

[Jamesrob637]

Thanks all! Push-pull is fine and maybe it's not worth upgrading if there's a 2nd Class carriage in 2+1 config

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks all! Push-pull is fine and maybe it's not worth upgrading if there's a 2nd Class carriage in 2+1 config

Depends how, er, wide you are - they appear to be 2nd seats but with a row missing. Still the holy grail of a window-and-aisle seat though!

Not sure if there is a seat selector or other means of choosing?

 

[Mag_seven]

Thanks all! Push-pull is fine and maybe it's not worth upgrading if there's a 2nd Class carriage in 2+1 config

A note of caution: You might not be able to book seats in the buffet and they may be less comfortable than a normal seat i.e. only intended for the short term use of people purchasing food.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A note of caution: You might not be able to book seats in the buffet and they may be less comfortable than a normal seat i.e. only intended for the short term use of people purchasing food.

They look like proper seats to me - there's a photo on the site above.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Depends how, er, wide you are - they appear to be 2nd seats but with a row missing. Still the holy grail of a window-and-aisle seat though!

Not sure if there is a seat selector or other means of choosing?

I don't eat much for breakfast but when in Rome no I think I'll go for First. I've chosen 2nd on a Budapest to Prague on 10 March and am starting to wonder whether that was a good call... mind you it only cost CZK516/barely 20 Euro.

 

[30907]

I don't eat much for breakfast but when in Rome no I think I'll go for First. I've chosen 2nd on a Budapest to Prague on 10 March and am starting to wonder whether that was a good call... mind you it only cost CZK516/barely 20 Euro.

CD provide very little first class accommodation by Western European standards and it can get busy despite the relatively high fares. The only train on that route with 2x 1st seems to be the Hungaria through to Germany which is MAV stock.

 

[Craig2601]

Pretty sure that no Intercity trains have free refreshments in Italy (I don't even think Frecciabianca 1st offers freebies except certain weekday trains). Standard on the Intercity trains are comfortable enough anyways. Sometimes a refreshment trolley can be seen going down the train but as it's Trenitalia don't count on it

 

[duesselmartin]

certainly on my frequent day time EC Thello (marked as Trenitalia in Italy) I never encountered any trolley.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Pretty sure that no Intercity trains have free refreshments in Italy (I don't even think Frecciabianca 1st offers freebies except certain weekday trains). Standard on the Intercity trains are comfortable enough anyways. Sometimes a refreshment trolley can be seen going down the train but as it's Trenitalia don't count on it

On the Rome-Sicily day IC train you get an itinerant barista with a back-pack during the reversal stop at Naples.
Then nothing for the next 5 hours or so, though there is coffee on the ferry.

 

[Craig2601]

The only time I have seen a trolley to be fair is on some Intercity services from Bologna heading along the Adriatic Coast.

 

[D6700]

I've chosen 2nd on a Budapest to Prague on 10 March and am starting to wonder whether that was a good call... mind you it only cost CZK516/barely 20 Euro.

On Monday, I travelled on EC279 11:44 Prague to Budapest as far as Bratislava. There were plenty of six seat compartments in second class, with very comfy seats. The one I travelled in even had opening windows.

With regard to the Italian train, a list I got from European Rail Gen shows this as now being E414's - which run top'n'tail - like a cross between an HST and 91's, where the DVT is replaced by another 91.

Here's a photo of this train with E414's, taken on 14 November 2019, which the caption says was the second day of E414's working this service:
https://flickr.com/photos/182087582@N07/49065556998/