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Two new ‘tourist trains’ to link Rome with Assisi and Alba from October

Italy’s state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato said it will launch two new tourist-focused rail routes linking Rome with Assisi, in the central Umbria region, and Alba, in the northern Piedmont, from October.

Published: 29 August 2024 09:07 CEST

A view of a platform of Rome's Termini railway station in 2018

A view of a platform of Rome's Termini railway station in 2018. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

The Espresso Assisi was scheduled to depart from Rome’s Termini station every Saturday and Sunday morning from October 5th to November 30th, arriving in the mediaeval hill town of Assisi, east of Perugia, in around two and a half hours, with stops in Terni, Spoleto, Foligno and Spello.

Return journeys were set to run on Saturday and Sunday evening.

Sleeper train Espresso Langhe-Monferrato was scheduled to depart from Rome’s Termini station every Friday in October and on Thursday, October 31st, calling at Nizza Monferrato and Asti before arriving in Alba, a small town in Piedmont known for its white truffles.

Return journeys were set to run every Sunday in October, as well as on Sunday, November 3rd.

The exact departure and arrival times of the Espresso Langhe-Monferrato were set to be released in the coming days.

The new routes were “two unmissable journeys on completely restyled carriages through the Piedmont hills and the most evocative Umbrian towns,” a statement from Ferrovie dello Stato said.

Trains operating on both routes were set to feature private lounges and a bar/restaurant carriage.

The two upcoming rail links were part of a number of new tourist-focused services, known as Treni Turistici Italiani, announced by Ferrovie dello Stato in November 2023 under plans to boost train travel to popular destinations, as well as lesser-known parts of the peninsula.

The new lines were first announced shortly after the launch of a direct service linking Rome with the ancient archaeological site of Pompeii.

READ ALSO: Where Italy’s ‘tourist trains’ can take you this summer

Earlier this summer, Ferrovie dello Stato introduced four new long-distance tourist trains: two departing from Rome and two from Milan, heading to some well-known Italian (and French) summer resorts, with stops in smaller towns along the way.

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The tram and metro closures to expect in Rome in autumn 2024

As Rome prepares itself for an influx of millions of additional tourists for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee year, the city is carrying out substantial work on its public transport system.

In particular, the 100-year-old Porta Maggiore tram depot will be upgraded to accommodate the city’s new 33-metre trams, according to Rome’s public transport operator Atac.

All 27 stops on the city’s most popular line, Metro A, are also undergoing renovations as part of a €55-million investment that will see some of the stations fitted with a ‘vertical forest’ wall, new LED lights and overhead mirrors.

Rome’s Transport Councillor Eugenio Patanè said the interventions are “fundamental to allow public transport to return to its full efficiency”.

Here’s what to look out for this month:

Trams

September 1st to September 15th: Line 3 will only run from Porta Maggiore to Valle Giulia, with replacement bus services operating between Trastevere station and Porta Maggiore.

Line 5 services on the Via Prenestina-Piazza dei Gerani section will be replaced by bus 519.

Line 8 will be completely replaced by buses.

Lines 2 and 14 will be running as usual.

September 16th to November 3rd: All of Rome’s tram lines will be out of service and replaced by buses, according to Atac.

Closures will last longer for lines 2, 5 and 8, which will be completely out of service until December 1st.

Metro

The Ottaviano stop, on the Metro A line, is scheduled to reopen on September 9th after closing for renovation work on July 22nd.

The Spagna stop, on the same line, will reopen on October 3rd after being closed for over two months.

The Furio Camillo stop, once again on the Metro A line, will remain closed until November 6th.

Metro A services will continue to end at 9.00pm instead of 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday until December 5th. Replacement buses are already in service.

Public transport strikes

Multiple nationwide public transport strikes have been called for the coming weeks, with the first walkout planned for Sunday, September 8th.

These protests may affect the normal operation of Rome’s public transport network.

However, under Italian law, public transport companies are required to guarantee a number of essential services (servizi minimi) during walkouts.

These generally run at peak commute times, meaning that, even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, commuters can still reach their destination (though services may be far more crowded than usual).

For more information on Rome’s public transport closures, see the Atac website.

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