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Getting on intercity train at later station

Posted by on

Hi,

TIA for your help - first time poster and long time lurker. We are in Positano at present and meant to be getting a ferry to Salerno tomorrow morning to meet a train to Rome. The ferry is now cancelled due to poor weather.

Our Intercity train from Salerno to Rome goes via Naples Central.

My question is whether we could get the bus/Circumvesuviana to Naples Central then board our planned train from Salerno to Rome when it stops in Naples? Or do we have to board the Intercity train at Salerno as per our ticket? Will we be able to get onto the platform in Naples with the Salerno-Rome ticket?

The alternative is two long buses via Amalfi to Salerno with long layovers so I'm keen to avoid those with baggage.

Thanks! Patrick

Posted by
4867 posts

I hope there isn't a flight involved on the same day. So sorry.
Or private driver- more money, less stress. Can you really depend on that bus? And the Circumvesuviana can run really late. We used Aldo Limos last spring. Christina in the office is a Brit, so communication is easy. Good luck!

Posted by
6215 posts

I am pretty sure you will be fine boarding with your ticket in Naples.

Is the ferry still running from Amalfi? Positano often closes their dock but others do not.

Alternative to get to Naples is a private driver.
We used this one
www.topexcursionsorrento.com

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks everyone - we'll plan to go via Naples (going to roll the dice on public transport) and see how we go. Will report back. Much appreciated!

Posted by
4867 posts

Pls do keep us posted. Good luck!

Posted by
20254 posts

The IC tickets are only 30.50 EUR base fare, and if you bought Economy or Super Economy tickets a while ago, less. Even if you missed it, there are Freccia trains about every 15 minutes to Rome costing 52 EUR base. Even the one that leaves 38 minutes after your IC train will get you to Rome before the IC train. So I don't know if you should take an expensive driver service to hold on to some cheap IC tickets.

There is also an Italo train at 12:15 that gets to Rome at 13:30 for 39.90 EUR.

Posted by
3 posts

Hi all - thanks very much for your help/replies/sympathy!

We ended up taking the SITA bus then circumvesuviana to Napoli Centrale from Positano. We passed through the (very) cursory ticket check at Naples station without any issues, although I wouldn't have wanted to try and ask for help to find our platform etc, or we would have been given away.

We then resumed our seat as if we'd been on since Salerno anyway!

FWIW - Trenitalia's online help stated that what we did wasn't permitted - but I'd happily do it again in future.

Patrick

Posted by
20254 posts

Glad it worked out. I think the potential problem (and the reason it is "not permitted") was that between the time it left Salerno and the time it arrived in Napoli, someone could have purchased a ticket on the train and been given your seats with the purchase. Then it would have been a situation with 2 people with the same seat reservation. I do not know if that information gets communicated to the ticketing data base.

German IC, EC, and ICE trains clearly indicate that if a reserved seat is not taken 5 minutes after departure, the seat reservation expires. I am not even sure that information gets communicated, only that the little electronic sign above the seat turns off, meaning anyone can now take that seat if you are not in it. Seat reservations on German trains are optional and cost extra, unlike Italian IC and Freccia trains where they are mandatory and included with the ticket.

How full was the train?

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