Train from Milano Malpensa DIRECTLY to Bologna Centrale?
 

I am seeing some information that looks like there is an option of taking a train from Milano Malpensa Airport directly to Bologna Centrale. Who knows if this is correct??

I had originally thought we would need to take the Malpensa Express Bus into Milano train station and from there take a train to Bologna.

This seems to be something new and I need to know if anyone has experienced it yet.

Also I have NOT made any reservations for the train since I cannot know if my flight will not be delayed, etc. Do any of you think this will be a problem to get on a train without reservations?

Thanks in advance

where did you see this train information?

Several places on the web, also on the Italy rail site. It does seem though that once you get to Milano Central you have to change trains but it was not entirely clear.

There is also a train called Frecciarossa which is very expensive but very quick, only about an hour, but only seems to go twice a day and if your plane arrival does not match those times, it will also not work.

"...Italy rail site."

This one? If not, I'd question the info.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD
[use Italian spellings when you search]

There are many Frecciarossa trains throughout the day, but they all originate from Milano Centrale.

The www.italiarail.com is JUST as accurate as the Trenitalia site since the former accesses the latter for all of its information.

To the OP: if you have to change trains somewhere then your connection is NOT "direct."

There are some trains a very few that go right from the airport to teh Venice region I believe but not to Bologna but yes all the time you can take the Malpensa airport train to Milan Centrale and switch to probably twice-hourly trains to Bologna and like Jean says there are many hgih-speed trains throughout the day.

As for expensive - you can get discounted tickets at www.trenitalia.com - deep discounts but then they are train-specific and cannot be changed nor refunded I believe - but if you build in a lot of fudge-factor time for planes to be late you can save a bundle p.p. - and maybe just put your bags in the bagge storage area at Milan Centrale - bop into downtown Milan - see the famous cathedral and perhaps hugely popular Last Supper (reservations needed to get it) then go back to the train station and board the discounted train to Florence.

For lots on Italian trains - www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. The train from Malpensa to Centrale station is flat fare - only book in advance the Milan to Bologna train for a discount - if buying full-fare tickets just wait until the airport and buy it all there at the airport train station after you know which train you cna actually easily get to on time.

"... JUST as accurate as the Trenitalia..."

And yet, it doesn't show all the Regionale departure time options from Malpensa that Trenitalia does.

But I was wrong on one point. Frecciarossa trains also leave from stations other than Centrale.

So :
1) Is it a "problem" that I do not have pre-bought tickets and will just get to the station in Milano Centrale and buy them then?

and

2) Is it better to take the train from Malpensa to Bologna, even if it means changing at Milano Centrale? Or better to catch the Malpensa express bus to Milano Centrale and train from there to Bologna?

Jean, there is a great deal of difference between inaccuracy and incompleteness. You want to keep using that quirky Trenitalia website, fine with me.

For a limited time in the past there were a few direct trains from MXP to Bologna, Florence and Rome. But the service was suspended due to limited public interest. At present there are Malpensa Express trains going alternately from MXP to Milano Cadorna station (no long distance connections here) or Milano Porta Garibaldi (stopping en route) and Centrale. In both these stations connections to long distance trains can be found, but they are more frequent at Centrale.
There is also a bus service from MXP to Centrale.

As far as I know, there used to be such a service (I took a direct train to Bologna from Malpensa back in 2011) but it doesn't exist any more and you have to change trains in Centrale.

They have started a new service from Rome Fiumicino, going straight to Florence, Bologna and I think Venice, too, at 11:08 and 15:08, daily.

Thanks, Dukey1. I will. I prefer knowing all train options.

www.trenitalia is yes quirkuy but it is the most definitive source around - since they run the vast majority of trains - it is easy to get schedules there but hard to actually book in which case you may want to use the other site Dudkey mentions but the Treno Italia (name?) site that competes with Trenitalia on the Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples high-speed lines. Always check both sites - TrenoItalia - not sure of name may be chaper at times IME the closer you get to the train. Not sure but bvience and kybourbon know every thing and hopefully they will clarify all this.

Trenitalia is notoriously slow at loading advance summer schedules always but if they don't know their own schedules how can some other site?

There are actually no longer direct trains from MXP to Bologna. Freccie Rosse from Milano Centrale run every 15 to 60 min. Last departure at 20.15