New Nice – Milan train won’t stop in Monaco after all
The new train has just been restructured to accommodate new passengers in unrivalled comfort © Monaco Tribune / Théo Briand
Trenitalia also hinted at an imminent new train from Nice to Turin.
At the beginning of July, Treni Turistici Italiani, a subsidiary of Trenitalia (Italian railway company), announced the return of the Nice – Milan service, with stops in Monaco, Ventimiglia, Alassio, Genoa and Pavia. In an old-fashioned style with a restaurant car and cabins for 4 or 6 passengers, the train will connect the Italian business capital to the French Riviera capital from 3 August.
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However, the Monegasque authorities did not agree to the train stopping in the Principality, as diesel locomotives are banned from Monaco’s train station. However, FS Treni Turistici Italiani’s CEO, Luigi Cantamessa, told us that from next year the new locomotive will be electric and will be able to stop in Monaco.
Round trips, only at weekends
At the weekend in August, the new train will take passengers from Nice to Milan in 6.5 hours. The direct, comfortable train smacks of “Italian good taste” as Luigi Cantamessa put it at the press conference to present the new service.
With one round trip per day and only at weekends, the nicely named “Espresso Riviera” will leave Nice at 5.12 pm, arriving in Milan at 11.40 pm It will set off from Milan at 7.35 am and arrive in Nice at 1.15 pm
A level of comfort we don’t usually see these days
Passengers will be pampered on board. The cabins offer the ultimate in luxury, with wide, comfortable seats in old-fashioned 4- or 6-person cabins, a restaurant car and a bar car with more than reasonable prices. Expect to pay €1.50 for a coffee or €2 for a cappuccino, and not much more for a glass of wine. What better way for passengrs to relax and enjoy the wonderful Mediterranean landscapes on offer.
“A prototype” that should become permanent
The new service, which will only run for one month, is intended to test the market before ramping up next year. “It’s a prototype,” said Luigi Cantamessa in response to a question from a journalist. The lack of rolling stock is also hampering Trenitalia’s ambitions, but the company hopes to provide a daily service on the Nice-Milan line as of next year. Train renovations are already underway.
The Italian railway company has no intention of stopping there. While it hopes to make the Nice-Milan route permanent within the next few years, it also wants to launch a new service Nice -Turin service via Cuneo as of next year.
Tickets start at €54.50 and can be booked on treni turistici italiani or Trenitalia France.