In a step backward IMO the Italian Railways apparently is severing rail links with its neighboring countries - like France, Switzerland and Austria and even Slovenia!

More and more the Italian train will terminate at the border and everyone gets off one train and onto a domestic train in the next country.

Thus there are no direct Nice to Milan trains currently- take a train to Ventimiglia and change- adding on a lot of time to a Milan-Nice train journey.

Ditto for the former Cisalpino trains that linked Italy and Switzerland- apparently the Cisalpino company- a subsidiary of the Italian and Swiss railways, has been disolved and though some trains now called EC (EuroCity) trains may do say Milan to Bern more and more there is a change of trains at Brig - first Swiss station after the Simplon Tunnel.

Ditto with at Brennero for Austrian trains.

Not sure the reasonsing for this but it apparently is a decision Italian railways have taken.

Overnight trains however to Germany and Austria keep running but i think ones to Switzerland have been scrapped.

The Italians never cease to amaze me......

Maybe it has something to do with the planned introduction in 2011 of the new high-speed Italo fleet. Not sure what the connection would be, though.

Do you have a link or someplace where I could get more information? We're going to Europe this summer and were counting on taking the night train from Venice to Paris. Thanks.

I hope the Milan to Nice train comes back because my trip from Cannes to Venice is going to be very long...

Thanks for this post! Keep us posted....