Train construction along Lake Maggiore - bus service insights?

Hi, I did that going back & forth to Stresa last year. The bus was waiting for the passengers, and it was surprisingly smooth.

On the other hand, I had a similar situation last week trying to get to Spoleto from Rome, and the train sat & sat, waiting for communication from the bus before the train would depart from Roma Termini. ; )

Thanks, Jean! Any idea if the bus originated from Stresa or if it came from the north? Did it stop at the other train stations as it made its way to Arona? Also, how was it getting a bus from Arona going back to Stresa? Since everyone is disemarking from the train at that point going the same way, I'd guess it might be crowded.

We'll have a car, but I thought it was easier to take public trans into Milan instead of having to deal with parking. The other option is to drive to Rho Fieramilano just outside Milan city limits and park there where the Metro Red Line originates.

Quite often with substitute busses there will be multiple busses, with some going non stop, and some doing all stop. And they will use a fleet of busses. (If it was possible to service demand with a single bus they would not be investing in the railway...)
So do pay attention to the signs. But there is usually staff on hand directing people as well.

this route has been closed in sections for large and varying parts of the summer for the past several years. By now many of the staff will have as much experience handling the buses as they do the trains!

Rho Fieramilano metro is actually the main expo centre, it definately has parking but with prices to macth teh main use. You should check first, and check whetherg exhibitions are being held on the day you visit.

The option of driving past the line blockage and then finding a train is still worth considering. Gallarate is on the logical route and has more trains into the city than Arona (or Domodossola on a good day). But again, you would need to check parking.

Rho Fieramilano metro is actually the main expo centre, it definately has parking but with prices to macth teh main use.

Right, the expo center charges 20 euros/day for parking but there is also an adjacent public parking lot near the Metro station that also serves the Rho-Fiera Milano train station. The area around the expo center seems tricky to navigate but we'll be there on a Sunday morning so it should be light traffic.

I like the idea of drving to the Metro stop as Metro service is frequent and it is the direct line that giets us to the places we're going to see (Last Supper, Duomo). It also gives us more flexibility than having to get to Milano Centrale for an hourly train. But what I really wated was to just catch a train at Stresa and not have to think about it, even though we had a car. Such is life...