Having been in Genoa (Genova) for the last few weeks I thought it might of interest to share a few thoughts about Trenitalia's performance in the region (and beyond).
Arriving by plane at Milano Malpensa, the station is fairly well signposted (but not infallibly). Trains approximately every 30minutes to Milano Centrale (with others to Cadorna). Described as the Malpensa Express, it isn't really... it stops at a number of suburban stations before arriving at Centrale nearly an hour later. Over €13 one way, its prices are reminiscent of Gatwick or Heathrow. But, a modern, comfortable, air-conditioned train with plenty of room for luggage. It's run by Trenord which I have a feeling used to be more independent of Trenitalia than it now is. Does anybody know the history of this?
Milano Centrale is (as Tim Parks describes in Italian Ways) a gigantic shopping mall. But on the mezzanine level overlooking the platforms are a number of restaurants including Obica, an Italian chain which is similar but more authentic than Gino D'Acampo in the UK. Worth a detour. If trainspotting is your thing, it's a good place for it; otherwise, handy for keeping an eye on the train indicator boards and getting ready to head to the platform for the 21.10 Intercity for Genova.
Which was punctual (more or less: maybe it is reassuring that Mussolini's influence over the railways has not been yet revived by Salvini and his gang). Coaching stock downgraded from Frecciabianca to InterCity. Comfortable and spacious with 2 + 1 seating if I recall correctly. Averagely swift but not WCML speeds – more Transpennine. Arrived at Genova Piazza Principe (the first of the main two city centre stations) which after a long period of refurbishment is at last a pleasant and reasonably accessible station with lifts from the platforms to the subway and either lifts or escalators back up to surface level (the platforms are at a lower level than the main station concourse).
Genova is a fascinating city with a unique geography. The historic centre is rammed in between the coast (the working port, unlike Liverpool, is still near the heart of the city) and the mountains. So that most of the suburbs either straggle along the coast for at least 15km each way, or climb vertiginously up into the hills. This means that public transport (besides buses) comprises a fascinating assortment of lifts which take you from more or less sea level to the belvedere overlooking the city. There is one in particular (unique in Europe) which starts off as a tram running more or less horizontally, then transforms itself into a lift. Worth the journey, never mind the detour. There are several funicolari and one rack railway heading up to the desirable suburbs overlooking the city. There is also a wonderful narrow-gauge line (Ferrovia Genova-Casella) which heads into the mountains and serves a dual purpose as tourist attraction and commuter railway.
There is one Metro line which starts at Brin a few km inland and winds down underneath the city centre to terminate at Brignole, the other main station. But the main commuter rail link is provided by Trenitalia on the main coast line from Voltri in the west to Nervi in the east: about 30 km. They provide an almost Merseyrail level of service: about four trains an hour though not entirely regularly spaced. You can travel from one end of the city to the other for €1.50, using a regular bus ticket (or, strictly, one that is Integrato with FS). It is quite an achievement to maintain this service in among the many long distance trains (and more freight trains than we'd see in the UK) which use the same constricted route. So understandably punctuality is not always achieved!
To maintain the frequency within the city limits, some of the trains are shuttles between Genova Voltri and Genova Nervi. But others are normal Regionali which travel along the coast towards La Spezia in the east or Savona in the west, or further. Italy still doesn't seem to have adopted EMUs and prefers loco-hauled trains (though I suppose in fixed push-pull formation most of the time). Most of them are modern double-decker coaches with state of the art electronic information systems (bilingual also), though there is older stock in use. Trains are long (10-12 coaches I'd guess, though I've not counted) and although they are busy they are rarely overcrowded.
It's when we get to the long-distance service that the comparison with the UK suffers. Genova is one of the half-dozen biggest cities in Italy, and yet there is at most an hourly express to Milano (and rarely very fast). Trains to Rome are even less frequent and take an age: 4 1/2 hours and more by Frecciabianca and nearly six on Intercity. Advance fares (as in the UK) can be cheap, and standard fares are not as exorbitant as ours. Punctuality can be appalling: I travelled last week from Genova to Pisa on a Frecciabianca running nearly an hour late. To be fair, the coaches are spacious, air-conditioned and most seats (unlike with Pendolini) appear to line up with windows. But announcements are sporadic and not all station stops were broadcast on the pa system. Most frustrating of all was waiting at Genova Brignole on the appropriate platform: suddenly the indicator switched to advertising a local train, with no indication (this was past the advertised time) of what was happening to the delayed Frecciabianca. With no member of platform staff in evidence, I had to go down into the subway and back to the main entrance before I could find a member of Trenitalia staff, who was almost as clueless as I was as to the whereabouts of the Freccia. Fortunately the local train came and went and the indicator reverted to its previous announcement.
On returning, the computer system at Pisa Central crashed about half an hour before the train was due. There was no visual information and broadcasts over the pa system were taken over by human beings speaking Italian only. A delayed Freccia for Rome came in on one side of the island platform, but it had no indications on its side about its destination, and not being entirely sure which direction was which I was slightly worried that it might have been the Genova train. It wasn't, and the latter arrived slightly but not seriously late compared to the outward journey. By booking advance I had secured a first class seat for only €12.90 so the rest of the journey was fine.
Arriving by plane at Milano Malpensa, the station is fairly well signposted (but not infallibly). Trains approximately every 30minutes to Milano Centrale (with others to Cadorna). Described as the Malpensa Express, it isn't really... it stops at a number of suburban stations before arriving at Centrale nearly an hour later. Over €13 one way, its prices are reminiscent of Gatwick or Heathrow. But, a modern, comfortable, air-conditioned train with plenty of room for luggage. It's run by Trenord which I have a feeling used to be more independent of Trenitalia than it now is. Does anybody know the history of this?
Milano Centrale is (as Tim Parks describes in Italian Ways) a gigantic shopping mall. But on the mezzanine level overlooking the platforms are a number of restaurants including Obica, an Italian chain which is similar but more authentic than Gino D'Acampo in the UK. Worth a detour. If trainspotting is your thing, it's a good place for it; otherwise, handy for keeping an eye on the train indicator boards and getting ready to head to the platform for the 21.10 Intercity for Genova.
Which was punctual (more or less: maybe it is reassuring that Mussolini's influence over the railways has not been yet revived by Salvini and his gang). Coaching stock downgraded from Frecciabianca to InterCity. Comfortable and spacious with 2 + 1 seating if I recall correctly. Averagely swift but not WCML speeds – more Transpennine. Arrived at Genova Piazza Principe (the first of the main two city centre stations) which after a long period of refurbishment is at last a pleasant and reasonably accessible station with lifts from the platforms to the subway and either lifts or escalators back up to surface level (the platforms are at a lower level than the main station concourse).
Genova is a fascinating city with a unique geography. The historic centre is rammed in between the coast (the working port, unlike Liverpool, is still near the heart of the city) and the mountains. So that most of the suburbs either straggle along the coast for at least 15km each way, or climb vertiginously up into the hills. This means that public transport (besides buses) comprises a fascinating assortment of lifts which take you from more or less sea level to the belvedere overlooking the city. There is one in particular (unique in Europe) which starts off as a tram running more or less horizontally, then transforms itself into a lift. Worth the journey, never mind the detour. There are several funicolari and one rack railway heading up to the desirable suburbs overlooking the city. There is also a wonderful narrow-gauge line (Ferrovia Genova-Casella) which heads into the mountains and serves a dual purpose as tourist attraction and commuter railway.
There is one Metro line which starts at Brin a few km inland and winds down underneath the city centre to terminate at Brignole, the other main station. But the main commuter rail link is provided by Trenitalia on the main coast line from Voltri in the west to Nervi in the east: about 30 km. They provide an almost Merseyrail level of service: about four trains an hour though not entirely regularly spaced. You can travel from one end of the city to the other for €1.50, using a regular bus ticket (or, strictly, one that is Integrato with FS). It is quite an achievement to maintain this service in among the many long distance trains (and more freight trains than we'd see in the UK) which use the same constricted route. So understandably punctuality is not always achieved!
To maintain the frequency within the city limits, some of the trains are shuttles between Genova Voltri and Genova Nervi. But others are normal Regionali which travel along the coast towards La Spezia in the east or Savona in the west, or further. Italy still doesn't seem to have adopted EMUs and prefers loco-hauled trains (though I suppose in fixed push-pull formation most of the time). Most of them are modern double-decker coaches with state of the art electronic information systems (bilingual also), though there is older stock in use. Trains are long (10-12 coaches I'd guess, though I've not counted) and although they are busy they are rarely overcrowded.
It's when we get to the long-distance service that the comparison with the UK suffers. Genova is one of the half-dozen biggest cities in Italy, and yet there is at most an hourly express to Milano (and rarely very fast). Trains to Rome are even less frequent and take an age: 4 1/2 hours and more by Frecciabianca and nearly six on Intercity. Advance fares (as in the UK) can be cheap, and standard fares are not as exorbitant as ours. Punctuality can be appalling: I travelled last week from Genova to Pisa on a Frecciabianca running nearly an hour late. To be fair, the coaches are spacious, air-conditioned and most seats (unlike with Pendolini) appear to line up with windows. But announcements are sporadic and not all station stops were broadcast on the pa system. Most frustrating of all was waiting at Genova Brignole on the appropriate platform: suddenly the indicator switched to advertising a local train, with no indication (this was past the advertised time) of what was happening to the delayed Frecciabianca. With no member of platform staff in evidence, I had to go down into the subway and back to the main entrance before I could find a member of Trenitalia staff, who was almost as clueless as I was as to the whereabouts of the Freccia. Fortunately the local train came and went and the indicator reverted to its previous announcement.
On returning, the computer system at Pisa Central crashed about half an hour before the train was due. There was no visual information and broadcasts over the pa system were taken over by human beings speaking Italian only. A delayed Freccia for Rome came in on one side of the island platform, but it had no indications on its side about its destination, and not being entirely sure which direction was which I was slightly worried that it might have been the Genova train. It wasn't, and the latter arrived slightly but not seriously late compared to the outward journey. By booking advance I had secured a first class seat for only €12.90 so the rest of the journey was fine.
