Italian Railways launches tourist route between Milan and Nice

A new tourist rail line connecting Milan and Nice will open at 6:25 a.m. from August for a summer test, Italian company Treni Turistici Italiani announced Wednesday in Nice.

Riding on the resurgence of train travel, the Italian company hopes to capitalise on the appeal of the Riviera to fill its carriages, about 10 in total, with a total capacity of 600 passengers. Introducing the trains at Nice station, the company’s president, Luigi Cantamessa, readily admitted that the journey times are “far from high speed”. But “the Cote d’Azur is the dream of all northern Italians,” he explained.

First test in August

The first train will depart for Nice on Saturday 3rd August and will run throughout the summer with two return trains each weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

According to the company’s relevant person in charge, dozens of people have already booked tickets for the first voyage. One-way tickets start at about 50 euros, and you can choose second class, first class or a very comfortable four-person “lounge” (which can be privatized). The train, named “L’Espresso Riviera”, is equipped with a comfortable dining car that serves Italian dishes.

Trenitalia has been developing in France since 2021

The French will be able to travel to Milan via Ventimiglia and Genoa for a short break without exchanging money, whether they are tourists or unhurried businessmen. “You can take a train to Nice at 5pm on Sunday, arrive in Milan at 11pm and have a work meeting the next morning without any problems,” said Luigi Cantamessa.

This move is part of Trenitalia’s development in France since 2021, with its French subsidiary operating on high-speed trains between Paris and Lyon. “Our goal is to develop the French rail market and from this point of view, the presence in Nice is very important,” stressed Marco Caposciutti, president of Trenitalia France.

Laurence Navalesi, Nice’s elected official in charge of border issues, said: “We have waited a long time for this famous train that we saw 20 years ago and we hope that this project can move forward and continue after September.” The Nice-Cote d’Azur metropolis formed a cross-border alliance with the Imperia and Cuneo regions in April, one of the goals of which is to develop mobility between the two countries. “We also need fast trains between our two countries,” said Agostino Pesce, president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Nice.

AFP

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