Italy - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services
Introduction
This list is based on the timetable in force from 10 December 2023. Although the timetable is shown as valid until 8 June 2024, most long-distance services are shown as operating only until March. Such trains are not indicated by note 'D' (for a service only running on certain dates), because it is a reasonable expectation that their period of operation will be extended or a similar service is provided instead. It is assumed that the timetable will continue to be updated and reissued regularly, as has been the case since summer 2020. Users are recommended to check the Trenitalia website to ensure they are using the latest version of the timetable.
Table numbers quoted here are from In Treno Tutt'Italia, the official Trenitalia timetable. Standard abbreviations are explained here.
Map references for each route entry are given in parentheses ( ). References prefixed "ERA-E" refer to the European Railway Atlas (All-Europe Edition) by M.G. Ball. References prefixed "ERA-R" refer to the European Railway Atlas (Regional Series: Book 2) by M.G. Ball. References prefixed "S+W", or in italic, refer to Atlante ferroviaro d'Italia e Slovenia by Schweers + Wall.
Two useful symbols exist which show the booked route for trains not calling at a station: in the middle of the train column, a vertical bar "|" means that the train passes through the station without stopping, whereas a middle dot "·" means that the train does not pass through that station but instead takes a different route.
Westbound and northbound trains normally have even train numbers. Eastbound and southbound trains normally have odd numbers. Trains may, therefore, have several numbers during the course of a journey. For example, the 07:13 Bergamo to Ventimiglia, which runs west to Milano, south to Genova and then west again, is successively IR1786, IR1787 and IR1788. In the tables below the train number used is that applicable at the last stop before the route concerned. Where two train numbers are shown, that is because they vary with the day of operation. Trains running on only a few days during the Christmas and New Year holiday period are not included in the lists; none use lines without any other passenger service.
When a train is being re-scheduled, to allow for engineering work or for other reasons, it is likely to be given an alternative train number, usually of five digits starting with 3. The last two digits are generally, but not always, the same as those of usual train number. For passenger reservation purposes the usual number may be used. Where a train is diverted via an obscure route that it does not normally use, the relevant 3xxxx train number is quoted in the lists. Many trains have alternative numbers because of diversions or retimings that do not affect use of obscure routes and in such cases only the usual number is quoted, in the interests of clarity and space.
Lines are listed in geographic order, from north to south, grouped by region. However, the Firenze - Roma direttissima (which passes through the regions of Toscana, Umbria and Lazio) is shown as a separate group. Special Notes and details of Linea Alta Velocità (High Speed Lines), Other Sparse Services, Bus services in substitute for trains, and Deletions since previous edition can be found at the end of this page.
List of Regions:-
| Lombardia | Includes Milano | Entries referenced from ITxx/01 |
| Trentino Alto Adige | Entries referenced from ITxx/21 | |
| Veneto | Includes Verona | Entries referenced from ITxx/31 |
| Friuli Venezia Giulia | Entries referenced from ITxx/41 | |
| Piemonte | Includes Torino | Entries referenced from ITxx/51 |
| Liguria | Includes Genova | Entries referenced from ITxx/61 |
| Emilia Romagna | Includes Bologna | Entries referenced from ITxx/71 |
| Toscana | Includes Firenze | Entries referenced from ITxx/91 |
| Marche | Entries referenced from ITxx/111 | |
| Firenze - Roma direttissima | Entries referenced from ITxx/121 | |
| Lazio | Includes Roma | Entries referenced from ITxx/141 |
| Campania | Includes Napoli | Entries referenced from ITxx/151 |
| Abruzzo and Molise | Entries referenced from ITxx/171 | |
| Puglia | Entries referenced from ITxx/181 | |
| Calabria | Includes Cosenza | Entries referenced from ITxx/191 |
| Sicilia | Entries referenced from ITxx/201 | |
| Sardegna | Entries referenced from ITxx/211 |
The following regions currently have no Obscure Services: Basilicata and Valle d'Aosta.
Special Notes
The Trenitalia timetables suggest that on certain lines fast trains and stopping trains run via different routes, but in fact there is a quadruple line with station platforms on only one pair of tracks. Such lines include Prato Centrale to Firenze Rifredi and Padova to Venezia Mestre.
Linea Alta Velocità (High-Speed Lines)
The following high-speed lines, which are electrified at 25 KV 50 Hz rather than the standard Italian 3,000 Volts DC, are used by Alta Velocità trains. These are marketed as Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca and Frecciargento. High-speed services are also provided by open access operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, trading as Italo.
- Torino Stura - Milano (Rho Fiera)
- Treviglio (Bivio Casirate) - Brescia (Scalo)
- Milano (Bivio Melegnano) - Bologna - Firenze (Castello)
- Roma (Prenestina) - Napoli (Gianturco)
There are various intermediate connections between these lines and older routes, but many see limited or no use by passenger trains. Those with a passenger service are:
- Piacenza Ovest: See IT23/71
- Fidenza Ovest: See IT23/73
- Castelfranco Est: See IT23/76
- Anzola dell'Emilia: See IT23/77
- Anagni: See IT23/147
- Cassino Sud: See IT23/148
- Caserta Nord: See IT23/152.
Connections used while high-speed lines were under construction, but no longer with a passenger service are:
- Bivio Novara Ovest - Novara Boschetto
- Crossovers at Bologna S Viola
- Bologna S Ruffillo - Bivio Emilia
- Gricignano-Teverola - 1° Bivio Gricignano
There are also high-speed lines electrified at 3,000 Volts DC, which may be used by other trains:
- Milano Lambrate - Treviglio: See IT23/15
- Milano Rogoredo - Tavazzano (Bivio Melegnano): See IT23/16
- Padova - Venezia Mestre: This is effectively a quadrupling of the old main line.
- Roma - Firenze Direttissima: This is an older high-speed line. See separate details.
- Napoli - Salerno: See IT23/156
It appears to be practice for DC high-speed lines to be known as Direttissima and for AC lines to be known as Linea AV/AC.
Trams
See Italy - Tram services over obscure routes
Other sparse services
The train service may well be suspended on some local lines for varying periods during the summer holidays between late June and early September, especially in northern Italy and Campania. It may be advisable to check services locally.
The following lines not included in the regional pages have few trains (relative to service levels generally in Italy) - five trains or fewer each way on at least three days a week, or do not run each weekday. Lines with no Sunday trains are noted, but where there is a Sunday service it may be very limited on rural lines. Even on lines with more than five trains daily the service may be very irregular, with a few early morning journeys and then none until the afternoon.
| 10 | Bardonecchia – Modane (France) | TGV and Frecciarossa services only |
| 13 | Trieste Centrale – Sežana (Slovenia) | |
| 15 | Cervignano-Aquileia-Grado - Udine | Limited Sunday service |
| 15 | Carnia – Tarvisio Boscoverde | Sparse weekday service; better at weekends |
| 26 | Novi Ligure – Tortona | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| 91 | Metaponto – Sibari | |
| 94 | Potenza – Metaponto [– Taranto] | Limited Sunday service |
| 109 | Ventimiglia – Breil sur Roya (France) | |
| 118 | Casale Monferrato – Mortara | No weekend service |
| 120 | Asti – Acqui Terme | No weekend service |
| 122 | Asti – Alba | No weekend service |
| 125 | Chivasso – Valenza | No Sunday service |
| 170 | Como Camerlata – Molteno | No Sunday service |
| 220 | Treviso Centrale – Portogruaro-Caorle | No Sunday service |
| 236 | Casarsa – Portogruaro-Caorle | No Sunday service |
| 250 | Fidenza – Fornovo | |
| 270 | Lavezzola – Granarolo Faentino [– Faenza] | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| 270 | Russi – Granarolo Faentino [– Faenza] | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| 273 | Firenze Campo di Marte – Firenze S Marco Vecchio | Peak service Mon-Sat; one train on summer Sundays |
| 283 | Buonconvento – Montepescali [– Grosseto] | |
| 302 | Viterbo Porta Fiorentina – Attigliano-Bomarzo | No Sunday service |
| 332 | Foggia – Manfredonia | Summer service only |
| 346 | Taranto – Brindisi | Limited Sunday service |
| 355 | [Cosenza –] Castiglione Cosentino – Sibari | Limited Sunday service |
| 360 | Sassari – Porto Torres Marittima | |
| 361 | Olbia – Golfo Aranci | |
| 375 | [Catania –] Lentini Diramazione – Caltagirone | |
| 378 | Caltanissetta Centrale – Canicattì | Limited Sunday service |
| 378 | Canicattì – Aragona Caldare | |
| 388 | Piraineto – Castelvetrano | |
| 392 | Caltanissetta Xirbi – Canicattì | |
| 392 | Canicattì – Ragusa | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| 392 | Ragusa – Siracusa | No Sunday service |
| - | Sassi – Superga (GTT) | No service Mon-Fri |
| 426 | Venezia Mestre – Piove di Sacco | Limited Sunday service |
| 430 | Modena – Sassuolo Terminal (TPER) | Limited Sunday service |
| 434 | [Bologna Centrale –] Bologna Roveri – Portomaggiore (TPER) | Limited Sunday service |
| 435 | Parma – Suzzara (TPER) | No Sunday service |
| 436 | Reggio Emilia – Reggio S Lazzaro (TPER) | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| 436 | Reggio Emilia – Guastalla (TPER) | Limited Sunday service |
| 437 | Reggio Emilia – Sassuolo (TPER) | Limited Sunday service |
| 438 | Reggio Emilia – Ciano d'Enza (TPER) | No Sunday service |
| 439 | Ferrara – Suzzara (TPER) | No Sunday service |
| 440 | Ferrara – Codigoro (TPER) | No Sunday service |
| 442 | [Bologna Centrale –] Casalecchio Garibaldi – Vignola (TPER) | Limited Sunday service |
| 445 | Arezzo – Sinalunga (TFT) | No Sunday service |
| 446 | Arezzo – Pratavecchio Stia (TFT) | No Sunday service |
| 447 | Perugia S Anna – Città di Castello (Ferrovia Centrale Umbra) | Limited Sunday service |
| 449 | Perugia Ponte S Giovanni – Perugia S Anna (Ferrovia Centrale Umbra) | Limited Sunday service |
| 453 | S Vito-Lanciàno – Lanciàno (Sangritana) | Limited Sunday service |
| - | [Napoli Porta Nolana –] Botteghelle – S Giorgio a Cremano | No Sunday service |
| - | [Napoli Centrale –] Aversa – Piedimonte Matese | No Sunday Service |
| 460 to 465 | Ferrovie del Sud Est: Entire network | Limited Sunday service |
| 466 | Bari – Gravina in Puglia and Matera Sud (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) | No Sunday service |
| - | San Nicola – Genzano (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| - | Potenza – Avigliano Città (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) | No Sunday service |
| 468 | [Foggia –] San Severo – San Nicandro Garganico (Ferrovie del Gargano) | No Sunday service in the winter |
| 468 | San Nicandro Garganico – Ischitella (Ferrovie del Gargano) | Limited service Mon-Sat and no Sunday service in the winter |
| 468 | Ischitella – Peschici Calenella (Ferrovie del Gargano) | Summer service only, bus service in the winter; trains incorrectly shown by In Treno |
| - | Catania Borgo – Paternò (Ferrovia Circumetnea) | No Sunday service |
| - | Paternò – Randazzo – Riposto (Ferrovia Circumetnea) | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
| - | Sassari – Sorso (Ferrovie della Sardegna) | No Sunday service |
| - | Sassari – Alghero (Ferrovie della Sardegna) | No Sunday service during the winter |
| - | Macomer– Nuoro (Ferrovie della Sardegna) | No Sunday service |
| - | San Gottardo (Cagliari) – Mandas (Ferrovie della Sardegna) | No Sunday service |
| - | Mandas – Isili (Ferrovie della Sardegna) | Limited service Mon-Sat; no Sunday service |
Bus services in substitute for trains
Services over the following lines have been replaced by buses, mostly owing to infrastructure problems. It is definitely intended that some routes will re-open to rail traffic, but others are in doubt.
| 113 | Ivrea – Aosta | Scheduled to close 3 January for electrification works, should re-open December 2026 |
| 122 | Bra – Cavallermaggiore | Train service suspended because of Covid-19 |
| 134 | Sesto Calende – Laveno-Mombello | Long-term, possible permanent, withdrawal of passenger trains. See route IT24/19 for occasional diversions on this line |
| 155 | Bozzolo – Mantova | Scheduled to close 14 January for doubling works; should re-open in 2026 |
| 172 | Seregno – Carnate-Usmate | Trains replaced by buses, to provide a more reliable service on other lines; trains unlikely to resume soon |
| 172 | Bergamo – Ponte San Pietro | Scheduled to close 5 February for doubling works; should re-open in 2026 |
| 226 | Montbelluna – Feltre | Closed for electrification work from 28 February 2022 |
| 233 | Gemona del Friuli – Maniago | Service suspended in 2012, because of a landslide. There continues to be pressure for passenger trains to resume, but no early prospect of this |
| 258 | Pisa Centrale – Collesalvetti – Vada | See route IT23/101 for occasional diversions |
| 259 | Cecina – Volterra-Saline-Pomerance | Bus service instigated summer 2020, apparently for upgrades to the line, but train services have not resumed. See route IT23/99 for occasional excursions |
| 310 | Priverno-Fossanova – Terracina | Train service suspended because of landslides |
| 312 | Sulmona – Carpinone | See route IT22/161 for details of special excursions |
| 313 (part) | Termoli – Campobasso | Closed due to a landslide in 2023, modernisation work now ongoing should finish by 2026, service is not subsidised until 2033 |
| 313 (part) | Isernia – Campobasso | Closed for electrification work; may re-open June 2025 |
| 315 | [Campbasso –] Bosco Redole – Benevento | See route IT22/148 for details of special excursions |
| 330 | Mercato S Severino – Benevento | Closed for electrification work; may re-open in 2026 |
| 335 | Avellino – Lioni | See route IT22/149 for details of special excursions |
| 337 | Rocchetta S Antonio Lacedonia – Gioia del Colle | Trains replaced by buses in 2011 on economic grounds, so unlikely to resume. Might have special excursions in the future |
| 339 | Barletta – Spinazzola | Closed for electrification works |
| 375 (part) | Caltagirone – Gela | Service suspended following collapse of a viaduct in 2011; should re-open December 2026 |
| 382 | [Catania –] Bicocca – Dittaino | Closed for doubling works in 2023; should re-open February 2025 |
| 409 (part) | Rovato FN – Bornato-Calino | Trains replaced by buses in 2018 on economic grounds, so unlikely to resume. The once occasional excursions no longer operate due to a rule change |
| 414 | Rivarolo Canavese – Pont Canavese (GTT) | Bus service not shown in In Treno, but there are plans to electrify and re-open the line |
| 426 | Piove di Sacco – Adria | Closed for electrification works, with planned re-opening in June 2024; train service incorrectly shown in In Treno |
| - | Sassi – Superga (Gruppo Torinese Trasporti) | Temporarily closed due to technical problems for an undefined time |
| 434 | Bologna Centrale – Bologna Roveri (TPER) | Closed in 2022 to be moved underground; should open in late 2025 |
| 447 | Città di Castello – Sansepolcro (Ferrovia Centrale Umbra) | The FCU lines are being modernised, this section and route 448 below should be the last to re-open in 2026 |
| 448 | Perugia Ponte S Giovanni – Terni (Ferrovia Centrale Umbra) | The FCU lines are being modernised, this line and section 447 above should be the last to re-open in 2026 |
| - | Licola – Torregáveta (Circumflegrea – EAV Srl) | |
| - | Benevento Centrale – Cancello [– Napoli Centrale] (EAV Srl) | Closed for modernisation, should re-open in late 2024 |
| 460a | [Bari Centrale –] Bari Mungivacca – Conversano – Putignano (Ferrovie del Sud Est) | Closed for modernisation, should re-open in 2024 |
| - | [Potenza Inferiore Scalo –] Avigliano Lucania – San Nicola (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane Srl) | |
| - | Genzano – Gravina in Puglia (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane Srl) | |
| 494 | Barletta Centrale – Andria Sud (Ferrotramviaria) | Service suspended for resignalling following a serious collision |
| - | Catanzaro Lido – Catanzaro Città (Ferrovie della Calabria Srl) | Closed for modernisation, doubling and a new underground section; re-opening was originally planned for July 2023 but has slipped to 2024 |
| - | Catanzaro Città – Soveria Mannelli (Ferrovie della Calabria Srl) | Closed for modernisation work; should re-open December 2026 |
| - | Soveria Mannelli – Rogliano (Ferrovie della Calabria Srl) | Closed due to a landslide; re-opening has slipped several times, latest news (October 2022) says this section should re-open late 2024 |
A number of other bus services appear in In Treno either in substitution for long-closed lines or FrecciaLink coaches to towns not on the high-speed network.
The following routes are shown on the Indice Grafico delle Relazioni (route diagram) in In Treno, but have no Trenitalia service at all, train or bus. In a few cases, which are noted, there is a train service not shown in In Treno.
| 60 & 70 & M65 | Ancona – Ancona Marittima | |
| 125 | Vercelli – Casale Popolo | |
| 134 | Sesto Calende – Oleggio | |
| 157 | Piacenza – Castelvetro | |
| 286 | Fabriano – Pergola | Special excursions regularly running on the line |
| 323 | Napoli – Sorrento | Former bus service. Circumvesuviana services not included in In Treno |
| 325 | Sarno – Codola | The north to east side of the triangle at Codola is closed to all traffic |
| 338 | Bari – Matera | Former bus service. Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane trains shown in table 466 |
| 347 | Lecce – Gallipoli – S Maria di Leuca | Former bus service. Ferrovie Sud Est trains shown in tables 462 and 464 |
| 349 | Lecce – Otranto | Former bus service. Ferrovie Sud Est trains shown in tables 463 and 465 |
| 388 | Alcamo Diramazione – Milo – Trapani | Should re-open electrified December 2026 |
Services not shown in In Treno
Timetables for the following services can be found at the websites shown. Some of these lines are shown on the Indice grafico delle relazioni delle altre imprese ferroviarie (route diagram of the other operators) in In Treno, but the corresponding table has an incorrect timetable or no timetable at all. Urban metro systems are not included in this list.
| L’Assunta/Maria Himmelfahrt – Collalbo/Klobenstein | Service operated by STA – Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige SpA, timetables at südtirolmubiltà (Table 160) |
| Trento – Mezzana | Trentino Trasporti esercizio SpA |
| [Venezia Santa Lucia –] Venezia Mestre – Piove di Sacco – Adria | Sistemi Territoriali SpA |
| Sassi – Superga | Gruppo Torinese Trasporti SpA (train service is SSuO) |
| Ferrovia Genova Casella | Ferrovia Genova Casella – AMT Genova SpA |
| Circumvesuviana network | EAV Srl Linee Vesuviane |
| Napoli Montesanto – Torregáveta and Licola | EAV Srl Linee Flegree |
| Cancello – Benevento (temporary bus service) and S Maria Capua Vetere – Piedimonte Matese | EAV Srl Linee Suburbane |
| Bari – Cecilia and Barletta via Bitonto | Ferrotramviaria SpA |
| Potenza Inferiore Scalo – Avigliano Citta and Potenza Inferiore Scalo – Gravina | Ferrovie Appulo Lucane Srl |
| Cosenza – Catanzaro Lido | Ferrovie della Calabria Srl |
| Catania Borgo – Randazzo – Riposto | Ferrovia Circumetnea |
| Sassari – Alghero | ARST SpA – Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna |
| Sassari – Sorso | ARST SpA – Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna |
| Macomer – Nuoro | ARST SpA – Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna |
| San Gottardo (Cagliari) – Monserrato – Isili | ARST SpA – Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna |
In some cases it is only possible to use a search engine to look up trains available at a selected time. For some lines, lists of train times are available on the E656 website. Look for 'Orario' in the menu bar.
Deletions since previous edition
IT23/01 Luino – Pino-Tronzano [– Cadenazzo CH]
The service between Luino and Cadenazzo appeared very sparse in In Treno, but now it seems to show the full service.
IT23/10 Milano Porta Garibaldi (Bivio Ghisolfa) – Bivio Musocco – Triplo Bivio Seveso – Milano Lambrate (Bivio Turro)
Now Milano Porta Garibaldi – Milano Lambrate via Bivio Musocco is the most used route, entry replaced by the alternative (now obscure) route Milano Porta Garibaldi (Bivio Mirabello) – Milano Lambrate (Bivio Turro)
IT23/18 Rovato – Bornato-Calino
Excursions on the line now seem impossible due to a rule change, substitute bus service shown as line 409 in Bus service in substitute for trains.
IT23/181: Bretella di Foggia: Cervaro (Bivio Cervaro No 1) – Incoronata (Bivio Cervaro No 2)
This curve links the Benevento and Bari lines directly, enabling trains to avoid reversal at Foggia. The few trains between Roma and Bari that used this route have been scheduled to call at Foggia since December 2021.
IT23/192 Castiglione Cosentino (Bivio Pantani) - S Lucido Marina
This east to south curve allows trains to run between the Cosenza and Reggio di Calabria lines without having to reverse at Paola. Bivio Pantani is inside the Santomarco Tunnel. A peak hour service via this curve was reinstated on 11 September 2022, but was withdrawn three months later.
