Trains, Milan

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Milan is a significant train hub in the north of Italy. It receives international trains from Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland as well as trains from Austria, Germany and France.

From Milan, there are high speed lines to Bologna (and on to Rome) and Turin. In addition, conventional railways connect to Bologna, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Domodossola (for the Simplon and Bern), Chiasso (for the Gotthard and Zürich Hauptbahnhof) and Lecco.

The train from Geneva to Milan is a great alternative to flying, taking your through The Alps and past the Italian lakes. Ticket prices vary but the further out you book, the better the bargain! Read my Travelogue on my own journey from Geneva to Milan.

Hello the easier is take the train from STAZIONE CADORNA in Milan (there is a metro line 1 and 2) to Como 1 h, after that you can take the bus leave from near the station in Como to Bellaggio 1h 20 min and cost more or less 2,60 Euro.
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Lorenzo

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The railroad station Milano Centrale was one huge construction site when I was there, to get ready for the opening of a new high-speed rail connection between Milan and Bologna.

Everything was still in operation, but not always easy to find.

Second photo: Central Station from the outside.

Third and fourth photos: Here, hidden away on the left had side of the station behind a lot of construction fences, is the left luggage office. I left a suitcase here over the weekend while I went to Cremona and Busseto, and it cost me EUR 15,40. (The exact price depends on the number of hours.) The maximum storage time is five days.

Fifth photo: Before boarding a train in Italy, don't forget to validate your ticket -- and your bicycle ticket -- by inserting the tickets, one at a time, into one of these yellow "Convalida" machines.

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At the moment I took this photo we were just 263 days, 7 hours, 2 minutes and 48 seconds away from the opening of the new high-speed railway line between Milan and Bologna.

The construction of this new stretch of track began in November 2000 and is scheduled to be completed by December 15, 2008.

The new line will be 182 kilometers long, and for part of this distance the trains will be able to travel at up to 300 kilometers per hour.

A train trip from Milan to Bologna will then take exactly an hour, instead of the one hour and 42 minutes that it takes now.

Second photo: Milan's Central Station (Milano Centrale) with the high-speed (Alta Velocità) railroad countdown clock. Now it's only 261 days, 13 hours, 33 minutes and 2 seconds till the opening of the new line.

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I used the sleeper train to travel to Milan from Paris and back again after a visit to Venice and also to reach the city centre from the airport. I was very impressed by the central station's size and grand appearance. Despite the size, it was not difficult to find the right platform or connection with the metro as it is very well laid out with clear signs.

We enjoyed the sleeper train journey very much, although having left on a warm summer's day, we kept the window open and woke up shivering in the mountains in the middle of the night. The bedlinen provided was made of a bonded fibre material with some stuffing inside, rather like a giant disposable nappy, but was very comfortable nonetheless and we were amused by the English translation of one of the signs in the train, which informed us that "it is dangerous to put oneself out of the window."

We found the train journey between Venice and Milan very comfortable and our train kept good time, however it turned out that we should have paid a supplement on our pre purchased ticket to use the train that we did and we were charged accordingly when the ticket inspector arrived in our carriage. I'm still not sure if we were charged just the supplementary cost or if we were fined for not purchasing the ticket in advance.

The airport to city service I used on a later visit was extremely convenient and efficient, with regular trains leaving Malpensa airport’s station, which I found well signposted from the arrivals area, for Cadorna station in the city centre, a journey of around three quarters of an hour. Cadorna station has connections with the green and yellow metro lines. The cost for this journey was a little under ten Euros, I think and the carriages were comfortable, with plenty of room for passengers and their luggage.

Milan has the major railway system in Northern Italy, at the center of important national and international lines. The main station is Milano Centrale, which is very near to the center of the city. From here trains leave for all parts of Italy and so do international connections to France, Switzerland, and Germany.
The station of Milano Cadorna serves the Malpensa Express for the airport and the FNM regional direct trains to the north of Milan.For times please consult the Trenitalia site or call the green number 89 20 21

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While in Italy I travelled from city to city on the trains - Trenitalia. I used both the Inter City trains and the Eurostar. The Eurostar trains get between destinations faster (as they have fewer stops) and in general are kept in better condition than the Inter City ones. The trains I went on had either restaurant cars or snack bars on board.

After leaving Milan I went to Rome and was on an Inter City train - this took me 6 hours. Next time I think I would take the Eurostar - which only takes 4.5 hours

I had a railpass when I was in Italy, which was very handy. Although on some trips when I wanted to book a seat I had to pay a few euro extra - but it was either that or run the risk of standing up for a few hours. If you plan on doing a bit of train traveling while in Italy, I recommend getting a rail pass as this can save you money.

The website below is very helpful, you can look up timetables of the trains, prices and even book your tickets online.

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There are now direct trains from Milan Malpensa airport to Milan Stazione Centrale, which makes life much easier if you are travelling onward by train or staying in the east of the city (or around Stazione Centrale itself).

Before this one trains from Malpensa went only to Milan Nord Cadorna station.

So...follow the airport signs to the trains, buy your tickets from the machines or the ticket office in the rather whizy new station foyer and go down the steps to the platforms (electronically signed, so you can't get on the wrong train unless you try very hard indeed).

Journey time is from around 30 minutes, fares from 7 euro depending on departure. It's a good idea to check out the time/fare for the trains you are most likely to catch after arrival here:

http://trenitalia.it/homepage_en.html

It's all in English. Search for 'Malpensa Aeroporto' and 'Milan'.

Remember to validate (date-stamp) your ticket before boarding the train; guards do check, and there are on-the-spot fines (and helpful reminders at the airport...see photos).

There is plenty of space in the trains for luggage, although there are a couple of steps up to the carriages.

Do allow extra time for your journey back: the train I'd planned to take had been cancelled. Luckily I had ample time to catch another one (departures are frequent) but it is not a good idea to cut things too fine.