mbresso

I have a very general question since this will be the first time we're not using a EurRail Passes and are instead purchasing single ride tickets as we go (or maybe a week in advance at train stations):

If we, with earlier purchased tickets in hand, miss by accident or design, say, the 0925 train from Rome to Naples, is there any reason we couldn't either use that same ticket for a later train or at least get credit and a new ticket at the station for, say, the 1125 train from Rome to Naples?

Put bluntly, are we totally SOL if we miss the train for which we've ostensibly purchased a ticket? I'd like to think we'd at least have equity in the price we paid. Thanks everybody.

. If the next train departed at 0945, is there any reason we can't either

nytraveler

It depends on the train. The fast express trains often require seat reservations as well as tickets - and the reservations are for specific trains. I'm not sure - but you may lose the reservation cost if you miss the train.

Regular, slower trains don;t require reservations and you can transfer tickets between one and another as long as you have bought a full-price ticket (not some special discount ticket available in limited quantities or at certain times).

ellenem

As NYT said, it depends on the kind of train and whether you want to change the ticket before or after the train has departed. Here's the Trenitalia explanation:

http://www.trenitalia.it/en/area_cli.../viaggio5.html

mbresso

That all makes sense and the link provided does indicate that if I purchase the ticket from a windows, I may get a refund at any station (in the unlikely event we do miss a train), excluding reservations or other "special cases envisaged for certain service."

Conversely if one uses a machine to make my original ticket purchase one can only obtain the refund in the station from which purchased. So much for using the machines to beat the lines...

Thanks folks!

ellenem

mbresso asked: is there any reason we couldn't either use that same ticket for a later train?

Just to clarify . . . If you ticket was for a slower train (plain IC or R), the ticket has no seat assignment and can be used for any similar train along that route--you could just jump on the next train without rebooking, or even two days later.

GeoffHamer

Standard train tickets in Italy are valid two months. If you buy a basic ticket from Roma to Napoli, you have two months before it becomes invalid. For Intercity trains, seat reservations are optional, but you must pay a supplementary fare; if you've paid the Intercity supplement, you can use any Intercity train in the next two months. If it's a Eurostar or any other train with compulsory reservations, then you need to go back to the ticket office if you miss the train and want to travel on a later Eurostar train.
There are fast trains at least every hour, as well as slower stopping trains between Roma and Napoli.