I don't know if this is discussed in Rick's Italy guide, but we almost missed our train because they have two platforms numbered 2. There is the main number 2 and then there is a 2ovest. We didn't realize this. Just speaking rhetorically, why don't they just give the 2ovest a different number? It was definitely confusing and we wanted people to know. Otherwise, the train station is pretty easy to navigate. We found the baggage drop and the bus to the tower following Rick's directions.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Many stations have "extra" tracks with the number followed by "est", "ovest", "sud", or "nord". (East, west, south, north, respectively.)
The numbers make sense if you know that the second set of tracks are not located with the main tracks. Directions on the boards and signage outside the station are usually very clear about which track you need, although I had to ask where those tracks are located the first time.
Glad you made your train - it only takes one trip like that to learn the system!
Posted by
Washington DC
27135 posts
I've been burned by that type of situation in Luxembourg, and it almost happened to me in Italy last summer. It is confusing.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15182 posts
It's like gate 4A and 4B at an airport.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1530 posts
The extra tracks are almost always stub tracks on a side of a station, usually used by local shuttle trains (i.e. trains that can be driven from both ends, as soon as they enter station they are ready to leave in the opposite direction). Giving them a standard numeration will not make them easier to find, but interrupting the main tracks numeration could make main tracks more confusing.