Uncertainty of yet to be determined train schedules

Schedule will update 6/11 and you’ll see thru 12/11 ish at that point
It doesn’t change much if at all
I wouldn’t be concerned

I have to admit, I never really considered that trains might not be running certain days for my trip in October and I'm going from Switzerland to France (with day trips to Germany), then from city to city in Switzerland and onto several cities in Italy and I've got all my lodging booked. I think it's likely that other than obscure towns and villages, there will be trains available regularly, although it will be wise to watch for specific times.

I'm glad to know the schedule is updated in June to cover trains in October, at least in Italy. I'm guessing it's about the same time line for France and Switzerland as well.

You should be able to find all the answers here:
https://www.seat61.com

Swiss trains are all scheduled, but you cannot actually buy them until 60 days in advance.

I'll piggyback on KRS's comment. I will be traveling in France in September. I believe that train schedules are posted 90 days in advance on SNCF. Please correct me if I am wrong. I also have an alert with SNCF to email me when more selections are available. To the OP, is it possible for you to receive alerts from Italy's rail system?

Hello fjj3748,

You sound like a planner and from one planner to another I just want to add a word of caution to what sound like precise plans. I don't know how to describe it except that the forces of chaos seem stronger in Italy than in most places and while this is true everywhere trains seem to be the most obvious place. I would always have a plan but you also need to be willing to roll with some of the unexpected things that happen.

An example from last September. We were traveling from Varenna to Milan for a connection with about 40 minutes of transfer time (which is plenty) until the inbound train was delayed 5, 10, 20, 40 minutes before it finally showed up. I was tracking our progress on the app and we made up time heading into Milan and I thought we'd just make it and then in a local stop just minutes outside the train station the train completely rebooted. Lights went out and I saw the UEFI boot message on the screen and everything. So five minutes later we're underway to the station but the connecting train had left. Off to the ticket office to rebook our tickets...

And this was just one of several train related adventures on that three week trip. For critical elements I would always have a back-up plan in your mind and also have an understanding of which tickets you can just reuse and which ones you need to go to the ticket windows to rebook if something happens. Be sure to get the Trenitalia app for your phone. It will let you track trains in real time, check platform assignments for trains and buy tickets when you need them.

I love Italy - I'm headed back in October - but part of that love is being in love with the craziness of it all as well. If you are expecting German-style transportation precision I want to temper your expectations a little bit. Years ago RS used to call Italy "as close to adventure travel as you can get in Europe" and some elements of that still remain. Here's hoping everything goes perfectly for you, but sometimes Italy really refuses to run to a schedule and that's part of its appeal.

Just my $.02. Have a great trip!
=Tod

departure times, number of trips per day, even maybe elimination of specific connections

fjj3748, it's not Amtrak. Any day Trenitalia carries less than 6 millions passengers; some 3 millions are commuters and students that need trains to run "as always". If one of the things I quoted in bold was actually possible, those 3 millions would not accept Trenitalia to release the full summer schedules so close to the June 11 deadline. Commuters and parents do vote and Trenitalia's Regional service is subsidized by the Regions, not by Rome.

Instead the great part of Trenitalia's Italian passengers has no idea there are two timetable changes every year.

@melrowgo

assuming we can make the first train - questionable given Customs delays)

You don't say when your airplane is supposed to arrive. You won't be delayed by customs, possibly by immigration, but more likely because your inbound flight is delayed.

The Swiss train connections at Zurich HB and Chur are cross platform changes. Walk off one train and walk 20 feet on to the next train. You have 48 minutes at St Moritz, time enough to stop and buy some snacks and refreshments.

Your issue is in Tirano, where you will have to change stations, It is just across the piazza, but you will need to have your ticket purchased already. If you miss that train, there will be another in 1 hour, so you will arrive in Milan 1 hour later. You could use that hour to get something to eat at one of the neighboring pizzerias.

@melrowgo

You should really start your own thread so as to not hijack someone else's so they're not getting notifications of answers to their question when they really aren't relevant.

=Tod

You're correct, @Tod. I thought any answers I received might be relevant to OP, but it was inappropriate. I have removed my post from the thread.

Hi! I'm hopping on board here to get info. I'll be in Italy with my daughter in June. I've been watching the Trenitalia site. ChristineH - I will need to get from Rome to Assisi on June 12th. So will I not be able to purchase tickets ahead of time until that schedule drops? It just makes me nervous because I am a planner and like to have my duck in a row. I was hoping to have all my trains booked between my destinations by now. Thanks.

@Bridget. As was pointed out in your other post, yours is a regional train and you will not be able to buy it until it is listed in early June. That is the way they do things in Italy, and they are not going to change for the benefit of nervous tourists. You would not book a city bus 2 months in advance, and regional trains fall into that category in Italy. The train will be there and you will be able to buy a ticket.