Hi! My husband and I are traveling between Roma Termini and Assisi on Sunday, May 18. We want to take the Trenatalia Regionale 2484 at 14:23. I was going to wait until we arrived in Rome a few days before to purchase the tickets, but it seems the next train already has sold out sections. The website won't let me see the status of seats on the 2484 - it states "The regional travel solution is not purchasable if the travel solution departure date is after 7 days from current date." Should I be worried? Should I book the next train now, or can I wait til I get to Rome? Any advice greatly appreciated! Cam
Posted by
Minneapolis
1223 posts
Hi Camille. For regional trains, there are no tickets sold for specific trains, so there is no such thing as a train being 'sold out'. The ticket is good for any regional train on that route anytime in the next 60 days. When ready to use it, just stamp the ticket in the machine right before you board, then hop on the train. If it is crowded, there is a possibility you might have to stand for part of the trip. Just buy your ticket at your convenience at any train station in Italy. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
And FYI, the stamping machines are increasingly found in the tunnels under the tracks, not on the platforms themselves. They're yellow. A lot of them are broken.
Posted by
Ballwin
833 posts
What you are seeing when you say that the next train (the IC/Regionale combo) has sold out some of the sections is that the discounted tickets are selling out. That's normal - they only have a limited number of discounted tickets. The tickets overall are very unlikely to sell out. There is no reason to use train combination though because it takes longer and you must connect through Cortona. Just take the 14:23 regionale train - and like the others have said, they don't sell out! Purchase them when you get to Rome or on the 18th, you'll be fine!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
The validation boxes are being switched to red/white/green (but they look more green/grey). If the machine doesn't work, you should try another machine or find the train staff before they find you.
Posted by
OP
Belle Mead, NJ, USA
27 posts
Thanks to all for such good information. No worries now, I'll get my tickets when I arrive in Rome. Thanks to all!
Cam
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Camille, three things for the Regionale trains. First, there are never discounts on Regionale trains. Discounts are only on the Intercity and Freccia trains. Second, Regionale trains cannot be sold out. Thus, any interpretation of what you see online about a sold out train is not correct. The Trenitalia website will never show "sold out" for a Regionale train. It will tell you that the ticket is not purchasable but that only means you can't buy the ticket (see Third item). Like your local city bus, if there are no seats, you can stand. The Regionale train makes every stop, so it's easy to get a seat after somebody gets off. Third, you cannot purchase Regionale tickets online from Trenitalia more than 7 days out from the time of travel. That's the reason you see the message that you can't buy the tickets.
All of that being said, your journey from Rome to Assisi will most often involve 2 trains - one from Rome to Foligno and one from Foligno to Assisi. If you look carefully, you can find the occasional Regionale Veloce train that does go direct with no train changes. For May 18, I can see such a run departing at 7:58 and there are a few more during the day. Again, you can't buy these tickets online until you get within 7 days from the date of travel. But, it's so easy to buy when you arrive in Italy. As for a possible full train, just show up a bit early to Rome Termini. The train originates there so its empty. Just get there a bit early and get a seat.