Milan/Rome, train vs. plane: which is faster? Which one is more convenient? Where is the best travel
Milan/Rome, better train or plane? the numbers seem to say that in recent years Frecciarossa and Italo have cannibalized the [...]
SkyTeam
LIN
Milan/Rome, better train or plane? the numbers seem to say that in recent years Frecciarossa and Italo have cannibalized the golden goose of the Italian national airline. It is too convenient to travel from downtown Milan to downtown Rome by train in only 3 hours (barring delays) than by plane.
In this article:
However, things have changed significantly in recent months, and here at TFC we have been wondering whether The opening of the subway leading directly to Linate from downtown Milan. made the airplane competitive again with respect to the train.
The numbers
The best bonuses
ITA Airways is the only airline that covers the Milan/Rome route with 30 connections per day, or 15 departures from each city. The departures are mainly concentrated in the early morning hours, from 7 to 9 a.m., and then in fact there is a plane every hour until late in the evening.
Instead, Italo and Frecciarossa battle it out on the tracks. The fastest train takes 2 hours 59′, barring delays. For this challenge we decided to travel with Trenitalia.
The website states that Trenitalia makes 104 total daily connections. That is, round trips made by Frecciarossa trains. The frequency of trains (one train every 15 minutes) is averaged from Rome to Milan and vv. between 7:10 am and 9:10 am and between 4:10 pm and 7:10 pm. The first departure from Milan to Rome is at 5:00 and the last departure at 21:00. The first departure from Rome to Milan is at 5:10 a.m. and the last departure at 8:50 p.m.
The price
We bought tickets about two weeks in advance of our trip and the prices were quite similar, although the train also offered significantly more aggressive fares.
The AZ Linate/Fiumicino flight ticket in economy light cost 113 euros, the Frecciarossa Centrale/Fiumicino flight ticket in business class cost 70 euros, the cheapest ticket for the same train cost about 12 euros less.
The race
Impossible to do a "real" race, because point-to-point would always win the plane. Instead, we calculated the entire travel time, that is, from the time we "left home" from downtown Milan and headed for the airport and central station, stopping the stopwatch the moment we arrived in the cab zone at Termini.
A small premise
The main traffic on this route is business, i.e., passengers who travel between the two cities for work, often on a same-day basis. This comparison does not make sense if one is moving from Milan to Rome and then boarding a flight on ITA Airways' long-haul network, or if one is not in a hurry to arrive as when on vacation.
Matteo and the plane
I don't live in Milan, but I believe that with the latest developments the plane has become competitive with the airplane again for three reasons:
- Metro makes it possible to get to Linate in "certain" time And with only a €2 charge;
- The technology at Linate makes it possible to go through the controls and get to the gate in less than 10 minutes, face boarding and new machines for checks that do not require you to empty your carry-on luggage make it faster;
- Wifi, coming soon with ITA Airways' new planes, will also allow people to work on board, and if the EU confirms that they can use 5g on board, it will be like being in the office throughout the trip.
This means that you will be able to leave home later and arrive at your destination earlier than by train, barring disruptions of up to 60 minutes. An hour in an 8-hour day for business customers is a lot of time, not to mention that the variables that can delay a plane are far fewer than those of the train.
Andrew and the train
Perhaps out of habit (I regularly take the train for work, while I rarely travel by plane), but to travel from Milan to Rome I would undoubtedly prefer the train to the plane. The reasons:
- It starts from the city center instead of having to go to the airport;
- There are no pre-boarding checks or downtime, no scrambling. You board the train and travel in total relaxation, with a carriage-bar and a stable Internet connection to work (or a window to admire the view);
- There are no limitations on luggage, no measurements or weights have to be observed, you can bring a guitar or a hanger with a dress hanging from it.
The trip on paper lasts longer, it is true, but the travel time in the airplane is partly "lost": when you are walking or going through the controls you cannot do anything else. On the other hand, in the train the three-hour trip is totally usable for work or leisure, so in the end you "gain" time.
How the challenge went
Both trips had minor setbacks that extended the travel time, but on one of them definitely more things "went wrong." To find out how it went just watch our video.