The Frecce 1000 trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Bologna, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.
However, some trains from Roma to Bologna still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
2hr 5min - 2hr 25 min
Daily
1 - 3 x trains per hour
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.
The Early Bird service
Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 5mins are non-stop from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale; rhe Frecciarossa 1000 trains are more likely to be used on the faster services.
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 20mins - 2hr 25mins divert off the direct route to call at Firenze S.M. Novella station - where they reverse direction.
Frecciargento trains are used on some departures heading to Verona and beyond, which take the route via Firenze, but that makes no difference to the journey time.
Final Destination: Various including Milano Cle; Venezia. S.L. Verona and Torino P.N.
Some of these trains also call at: Roma Tiburtina
Arriving in Bologna
Listen out for the announcements that the train is due to arrive in Bologna.
These trains arrive in the AV (high-speed) station at Bologna Centrale after a lengthy journey through a tunnel; and that part of the station in Bologna is underground, so it will only become visually apparent that the train has arrived in the station at the last minute.
Note that a variety of trains are used on this route.
When looking up the journey on Trenitalia, it will indicate if a Frecciarossa 1000 train is due to be used on a specific departure.
The Frecciarossa 600 trains are only used on a few departures, the other trains are more common.
This is a journey of two parts:
(1) The high speed line between Rome and Florence is more scenic than most other high speed routes, it's not a beautiful journey, but there is a wow factor of travelling across the rolling landscape at more than 240 km/h*.
This video taken from a travelling in the opposite direction showcases the journey experience.
The direttissima between Rome and Florence was the first high speed railway line to be built in Italy, so it has a slower maximum speed than the other Italian high speed lines.
(2) Once the train has passed Florence it will speed up, but nearly all of the high speed line between Florence and Bologna is within tunnels.
Save by booking in advance: Yes, for more details on how to obtain the cheapest prices for Frecce trains see the guide to Italian rail tickets.
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; though the booking period will be typically be shorter when looking up journeys for travel after the second Sunday in December.
The high speed train (AV) service between Roma and Bologna is provided by:
(1) these Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia and
(2) alternative Italo trains
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale up to 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are typically made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
So, if you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will need to reserve prior to boarding these trains, either at the station (using a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket desk) OR by booking them online.
How to book the rail pass reservations online is included on our guide to using rail passes in Italy.
If you are happy to pay the €10 reservation fees, it makes sense to target the faster trains, the fee will be consistent, regardless of the journey time.
Though rail pass users can save money by taking the Intercity trains.
2hr 5min - 2hr 25min
Daily
1 or 2 x trains per hour
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Italo trains compete with the Frecce services, provided by the national rail operator, Trenitalia, on the high speed routes which link major cities in Italy.
The Italo booking site only sells tickets for journeys by its trains.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
Final Destination: Various including Milano Cle (most of the faster departures) or Torino P.N or Venezia S.L
Some trains also depart from: Roma Tiburtina
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 5mins are non-stop from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale,
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 20mins - 2hr 25mins divert off the direct route to call at Firenze S.M. Novella station; where they reverse direction
Listen out for the announcements that the train is due to arrive in Bologna.
These trains arrive in the AV (high-speed) station at Bologna Centrale after a lengthy journey through a tunnel; and that part of the station in Bologna is underground, so it will only become visually apparent that the train has arrived in the station at the last minute.
The Italo trains take the same route as the Frecce trains.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Roma and Bologna is provided by
(1) these Italo trains
(2) Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day - so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail passes are not valid on the Italo trains
4 hr (approx)
Daily
2 x trains per day
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.
The Early Bird service
Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.
Final Destination: Milano
These trains are around 1hr 45 mins slower than the Frecce and Italo trains between Roma and Bologna because they don't use the high speed line between the two cities.
But they can be much cheaper, particularly when the cheapest 'Super Economy' tickets have sold out on the Frecce trains.
If you will be a using a rail pass, you can avoid the €10 rail pass reservation fee payable on the Frecce trains.
Additional Intercity trains typically depart from Roma Tiburtina station daily 12:40 and 16:35; with an additional departure on Sunday only at 17:12.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
These trains are typically scheduled to depart from Roma Termini at 10:22and 15:30.
Take these Intercity trains from Roma to Bologna and you can usually save at least €20 in comparison to taking the faster Frecce or Italo trains.
Though if you want to easily compare prices with both of these services, you will need to look up this journey on the Trainline or Omio websites.
Using Rail passes:
Target these IC trains if you want to save €10 on rail pass reservation fees.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential.
And this €3 fee is mandatory in the peak summer period.
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