New Trenitalia Regionale ticket system report from on the ground

Tod, I really appreciate your details on this! Am I thinking right that there’s an advantage to having a paper ticket now for the Regionale because it’s valid for the 3-hour period? So if I validate it, and that train isn’t running, I could still take the next one? Or if the delay of a first train caused this situation you described, I could get on that waiting train if it’s a Regionale? Answering this before my full two cups of coffee this morning. : )

Thanks for update Tod. What’s the best strategy if your phone only has a Wi-Fi connection, for the validation (we have it on airplane mode and use Wi-Fi connection where we stay)? Does this mean we could only validate before we leave wherever we are staying, which might be quite a bit before we take our train?

@Jean I believe they are valid for 4 hours from validation - I know it's printed on the ticket itself.
The paper tickets are good that leg of trip whichever train you catch as long as your ticket is validated and you're within the time window from validation. So even if you validated your ticket and somehow missed the train you can just jump on the next one.

It really is a decent and flexible system and I'm not sure what's behind the push to change it. I can't imagine that the percentage of older adults in Italy which smart phones is so large that they think they don't need to support paper tickets anymore.

Have a great trip!
=Tod

@rob in cal I would say better safe than sorry in that case. I know some of the larger train stations have Wifi access but not all of them do. And I don't think chasing around for a cafe with Wifi before getting on your train sounds like much fun.

I would also take a screenshot of the ticket with the validated status marked on it. If you can't get signal on the train I can't guarantee that you will be able to pull up the ticket in the app to show the conductor. So as a backstop I would validate the ticket, grab a screenshot of the ticket from the app while you have signal and make sure it is in your photos where you can get it.

If you purchase a ticket through the app but don't have a Trenitalia account you can use the "retrieval code" (presented with a handy 'copy this code') and your name and add it into the "My Journeys" section of the Trenitalia app for validation. If you don't do that then you'll need to click the 'activation link' in the email you receive with your ticket. Either way I would save a back up of the validated ticket.

On the iPhone you can pull fast train tickets into your Wallet app for easy access and I assume there is an equivalent function for the Android, but this doesn't work for Regionale tickets so be smart about your proof of ticket.

That being said we have tickets checked twice on the train - once seriously and once just glancing - and once on the bus in Verona for all the time we were there. Oh and once on the Vaporetto from Murano on a Sunday as well. So the vast majority of the time you won't get your tickets checked but don't let that make you get lazy about it.

And if they are day of purchases you can also just use the ticket stand and go old school paper tickets - still validate them - and skip all the Wifi issues if that works.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Just as a side note.. been using Trenitalia app for all my regional and Frecciarossa rides.

I just arrived at Lake Como from Milan. Forgot to check in and realized it 10 min into my journey as conductor was checking tickets.

I just showed the QR code from my app… and it was accepted without a problem- even though it was not checked in…

For Frecciarossa rides, the conductor knows who checked in without asking to see the iPhone app. They were checking for tickets, and they just bypassed us, as if they knew..

What’s the best strategy if your phone only has a Wi-Fi connection, for the validation (we have it on airplane mode and use Wi-Fi connection where we stay)? Does this mean we could only validate before we leave wherever we are staying, which might be quite a bit before we take our train?

Don't use the app, buy paper tickets. The app requires internet access to display the QR code for your ticket. Even if you validate your ticket while on wifi and don't close the app, if your phone locks the QR code will be gone when you unlock the phone again and you'll need to access the internet to display it again. This was our actual experience (not speculating on what "should be" or "will happen") on more than a dozen trips via Regionale trains last month in Italy.

Furthermore many Regionale trains don't have wifi, only Frecciarossa or Frecciargento high-speed trains are guaranteed to do so. See https://www.italiarail.com/train-travel-basics#2548 Here is an article about the Regionale upgrade that mentions a certain class of them will have wifi https://www.fsitaliane.it/content/fsitaliane/en/innovation/transport-technology/the-new-regional-fleet.html

Thanks Gene, that's interesting. I was on the fast train that the conductor just glanced at my QR code and didn't even wait for me to scroll to my wife's code. They also seem to have a real track of which seats are newly filled as the train moves through different stations on so I think they do probably have a computer in the train that tracks seats and ticket statuses is real time.

Fortunately I never had to face a purchased but unvalidated ticket on the train but during this roll out period I wouldn't be surprised if they were (somewhat) more lenient - especially with tourists. When I was having all those errors checking in I did screenshot them so if I had to argue my case I could show that it was giving me errors when I tried.

Glad to hear it wasn't a hassle, enjoy!
=Tod

That being said we have tickets checked twice on the train - once seriously and once just glancing - and once on the bus in Verona for all the time we were there. Oh and once on the Vaporetto from Murano on a Sunday as well. So the vast majority of the time you won't get your tickets checked but don't let that make you get lazy about it.

On Regionale trains our experience was about 50% of the time they checked the QR code. And it was a real check, you show them the code and they scan it with their device.

Re: Wi-Fi
As long as you don’t close out the app - QR code should still be there without internet connection.

Beginning of my early traveling career- I relied on only Wifi for my iPhone functions. As I gained more experience- having cell signal became crucial- google map, various apps, and even using WhatsApp - all required cell signal and made traveling so much simpler.
I use Airalo app for esims. Much cheaper and better than US international plan.

As long as you don’t close out the app - QR code should still be there without internet connection.

Our actual experience in Italy last month was different. Never closed the app, but unlocked the phone and the QR code was no longer displayed. Did it work differently for you when you were travelling in Italy?

I used the Trenitalia app several days ago. I purchased my ticket within thirty minutes of the train’s scheduled departure. No validation was required. Instead the app showed a checkin button which I toggled about 15 minutes before departure. A conductor checked for tickets 45 minutes into the trip. He simply saw that I had a QR code and kept walking with scanning it. My train was listed as Trenord.

I used the Trenord app to purchase a Malpensa Express ticket as well. No validation was required. I was able to board an earlier train (agent approved) and the website and app allowed for boarding a train within a six hour window. It was an excellent experience.

I'll just jump on this thread to add info on ticket machines in smaller towns that I experienced in September. Several times I wanted to buy a ticket for 4.30 euro. The machines would only take coins, no bills. And one machine wouldn't even accept a 2-euro coin! I only bought one ticket on my phone this trip. I found the check-in process frustrating and confusing. So I went back to buying paper tickets.

@Janet, those ticket machines are going to eat into my gelato fund! : (

I purposely spend my coins at gelato shops, figuring they appreciate exact change. And it keeps my coin accumulation down.

Not for nothing, I use the Trainline app for European travel and last month bought my tickets on it. I heard the announcements about making sure to validate your ticket before the train departed. The good news is the Trainline app doesn’t have that feature, and the conductor never cared.

I have a GSM Phone that I put a sim card in for whatever country I'm in.
Last 2 Italian trips,most recently in Sept to October 19th the Vodafone sim card worked extremely well. Stong data available all the time, so no need for WIFI when I'm out. 30 euros for 22 days, I should be able to add days via Vodafone for my next trip in May.
I was able to use my account on the Trenitalia app and buy tickets any time. As close to 15 minutes from departure. Then validate the ticket before boarding.
In addition I had an Italian phone number which was also useful on many occasions, from making reservations for restaurants to communicate with accommodations.

My husband and I have been using Trenitalia trains (and the app) for the past 6 weeks, with no problem. I always take a photo of the QR codes of our tickets in case there is no Wifi on board when the conductor comes around, even with regional tickets. I'd say our tickets were checked about 50% of the time, more often, of course, when we're in biz class seats. Except for a very late train one day from Parma to Bologna (causing us to miss a connection) we've found the system to work well.

I use the Trainline app for European travel and last month bought my
tickets on it. I heard the announcements about making sure to validate
your ticket before the train departed. The good news is the Trainline
app doesn’t have that feature, and the conductor never cared.

As of Nov. 1, 2023, If you purchase an e-ticket on Trainline for a regionale train, you are required to check in/validate before boarding, and you do it through the Trainline app:

https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-companies/trenitalia/check-in