by Ihor Cap

Italy’s Trains
Trains are a great way to travel. They are comfortable, fast and reliable. Italy has a fine railway network of high speed trains that allows tourists to go just about anywhere in Italy within your budget. The trains use high speed lines or traditional lines depending on your destination and can reach speeds of up to 360 km/h.

The Frecciarossa high speed line train connects Turin, Milan, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Salerno. Over a million people a month travel this north-south high speed line to get to their intended destination. Frecciarossa trains are super fast and reach speeds of up to 360 km/h. Customer service, supreme comfort and safety define this travel experience. The Frecciargento train travels the high speed and traditional lines to connect you from Rome to Venice, Verona, Bari/Lecce, Lamezia and Terme/Reggio Calabria. Comfort and speed define this ride. The Frecciargento reaches speeds of up to 250 Km/h.  Frecciabianca trains connect Milan to Venice, Udine and Trieste; Genoa and Rome; all the way down to Bari, and Lecce on the traditional line. Frecciabianca trains can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h.  Expect comfort and speed as well as onboard personnel to provide you with assistance during your journey. Other Eurostar Italia - trains provide you with connections from Rome to Ancona, Genoa, Lamezia Terme, Perugia, Ravenna, Reggio Calabria, Rimini, and Taranto. Eurostar Italia trains can be recognized by the Red, White and Silver Stripe on top of the train. Intercity trains are designed to meet medium to long distance requirements of locals and tourists alike. Quality and value define this train ride. These trains reach hundreds of major and minor Italian cities and go as fast as 200 km/h. International Trains connect you to Austria, Budapest,  Croatia, France, Germany, Prague, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. Seats, beds and couchettes, and catering services with trolley bars moving from carriage to carriage define this international travel experience.

Purchasing Your Tickets From the Trenitalia Web Site
You can purchase your train tickets to a destination and hotel of your choice from the comfort of your home by visiting the Trenitalia web site (see www.trenitalia.it). Look up the train timetables (schedules), indicate whether it is a one-way or round trip, fill in the From-To fields, dates of departure and return and you are on your way. The next few pages ask you to choose (1) departure-arrival times, (2) your fares and preferences [prices based on flexible, base or meno 15% discount ], the number of passengers, first class or second, and seat descriptions (e.g., window, median, corridor), amongst other information, (3)  Delivery [of tickets ] via e-mail, home delivery, mailing address, etc.., and then enter your user ID and Password (from your web site sign up) in order to take you to the last two steps to complete the ticket purchase (4) Summary and Payment, and (5) Purchase confirmation. You must sign up (register) with the web site services in order to receive your tickets. A convenient Help button is available to assist you with the ticket purchase process should you get stuck. 
It’s important to get the train preferences right because ticket prices may be as low as 11 Euro on a Flessibile (flexible) fare round trip to as high as 150 Euro for a same day first class round trip ticket on a Frecciarossa or Frecciargento high speed train for any destination. Do not forget to check for offers and specials. It may save you a lot of money.

How To Use the Biglietto Veloce/Fast Ticket Purchase Machines
Here is something that you should know up front that is really great about purchasing your tickets from the grey-yellow Biglietto Veloce/Fast Ticket machines!! My relatives from Italy shared this tid bit with me. On weekends, the Bigliettos or Tickets that you purchase from these self-serve automated ticket dispensers are transferable to virtually any means of transport available.  In other words, every Saturday and Sunday, the very same tickets that you purchase for your train ride can also be used for riding the city bus, underground subway metro, tramways, trolleybuses, or any other means of available city transport. Moreover, you can ride a full day on them. Talk about flexibility!   Fast Ticket self-service machines are very accessible. They are installed in just about all of Italy’s main railway stations. You can use them to purchase train tickets or pick up tickets that you bought online. All you have to do is key in your name and surname used for buying your train ticket as well as the booking code or PNR code.   Note: You can use the machine to make changes to your ticket reservation dates, but in this case we will provide you with instructions on how to make a ticket purchase. It’s a touch screen monitor, so you follow the instructions on the computer screen and press the buttons relevant to your destination needs. If you make a mistake, do not worry. There is a Back button to repeat a procedure if you err somewhere in the process. A video tutorial follows so you can easily see exactly what needs to be done.

Procedures for Making a Ticket Purchase (Press Relevant Buttons for Desired Selection)
Step 1: Select Language of Service. Press the British Globe Flag Button for Service in English in the “Footer” section or bottom portion of the screen.      
Step 2: Select Ticket Issue.
Step 3: Choose Your Destination. The From field is automatically filled in for you, so complete the To portion by selecting from a list of proposed destinations or key in (input) your own if you do not see it on the list. You click (press) Other destination (if yours is not on the list), and a keypad will appear before you. As you begin to type the first letter of your intended destination, a new proposed list of destinations appears on the screen beginning with that letter. Now, complete the procedure by selecting or keying in your final destination.
Step 4:  Select your Date of Departure. Today, Tomorrow or Other Date.
Step 5:  Key in and Confirm Date of Departure. Set the Day, Month and Year, then press Next button
Step 6:  Choose Departure Time.
Step 7:  Choose Preferred Train Arrival Time and Type. Select arrival time by type of train, e.g., by Intercity, Regionale, Flexi, Standard, or Familia (family special offers). Note that the Intercity train is more expensive than the Regionale. We chose Standard for value and cost.
Step 8:  Key in Number of Passengers and Confirm. Input number of adults and children you are purchasing tickets for, and then press Next button on bottom right of screen.
Step 9: Select type of seat you would like to Book. Next to Anyone (is no preference), Select Seats (you choose your position), or Next To button (if you intend to sit next to someone/who already has booked).
Step 10: Select Class type. First Class or Second Class options appear on screen.
Step 11: Enter Reserved Seat Number. Select Carriage No., Then Seat Nos.
Step 12:  How Would you Like To Pay? Press by Credit Card, by Cash Card (that is Debit) or by Cash. The next few screens review the reservation made and then asks for your payment. We made a cash payment so that is what you will see in the video “tutorial”. Remember, you put your card and/or money into the machine to the right of the one you were inputting information in. If you put your money into the one you were working on then the machine will only stamp your money.

Author Information:

Ihor Cap is a web author at http://articlesandblogs.ezreklama.com. 

A LIST OF SELF-SERVICE TICKET DISTRIBUTOR (DISPENSING MACHINES) STATIONS