How early does a person need to arrive at the train station prior to catching a scheduled departure? Is 30 minutes enough? Is 60 minutes enough?
We will be getting on Italia Rail from Rome to Cinque Terre, then later in the week to Pisa, then Florence. We are also taking a train to Venice.
Thank you!
Italia Rail is a ticket reseller, so make sure you know what trains you're actually taking.
But, railway stations are not like airports. You need enough time to find the platform and get there. 30 minutes is plenty of time, even in Rome. 60 minutes would be too much. Even 30 minutes is too much at smaller stations.
You need to know the number of your train and it’s final destination
That is how it will be listed on the board that will tell you which track
There is no location named “Cinque Terre”
Trenitalia runs regional trains and fast trains so your route may be a combination of those
The trains from CT towns to Pisa are regional
From Pisa to Florence will be a regional so Trenitalia
ItaloTreno runs only fast trains so you could be on that line Florence to Venice-ooops never mind this
ItaliaRail doesn’t sell ItaloTreno tix
Italiarail is a third party reseller, not a train company
Look at your tickets to see which train company you have booked with
Read this info:
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm
30 min is usually more than enough time
As Badger said, you won't be getting on an ItaliaRail train as that's a 3rd-party ticket seller and not a rail company. If you bought your tickets through ItaliaRail (you mentioned in a previous post that you'd already purchased them) you'll be taking Trenitalia trains (national rail service in Italy). They don't sell tickets for Italo trains (private rail line operating mostly between larger cities).
You might want to spend some time with "The Man in Seat 61" website for a primer on using Italian trains?
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm
It will also give you an overview of Rome's Termini, Venice's Santa Maria Lucia, and Florence's Santa Maria Novella stations: all are considered the MAIN stations for these three cities.
Most departure / arrival tracks are displayed on monitors only 15 minutes in advance, so arriving 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time is quite pointless.
Yes, Italia rail is a reseller; you must know the name of the railway company that's actually running your train(s) and the train code(s). Once you know your train's code you can avoid to memorise its final destination.
You'll have to change trains in La Spezia, unless you are staying in Monterosso and you are departing from Rome at 6:06 AM or at 7:43 PM.
I hope Italia Rail sold you a through ticket to your final destination and explained what to do if you miss a connection.
LOL, Christine is a quicker typist than I am but we both agree that Seat 61's site should be helpful! :O)
Is 30 minutes enough? Is 60 minutes enough?
Five minutes is plenty. The train will never leave early, and you will either (a) have a seat reservation, or (b) not need one.
In a few large stations (Milano C., Firenze SMN, Roma T. and Napoli C.) the train may reverse its direction, in which case it will arrive 9-10 minutes before departure time. At intermediate stations, the stopping time may be in the 30 seconds-3 minutes range. - When the train departs from its initial station, the current trend is bringing the train to its platform not earlier than 10-15 minutes before departure time.
An example. I live 10 minutes walking from Firenze SMN. If a train to Milan is due to leave at 1pm, I leave home at 12.30pm. Ten minutes for walking to the station, 10 minutes for passing the ticket control (it takes one minute) and looking for the platform (usually announced only three minutes before the train arrives, 10 minutes as in SMN the train it will arrive 9 minutes before departure time.
15 to 20 min is plenty.
