Train ticket validation
 

This may be a really stupid question, but we have reserved first class seats to travel by train from Venice to Paris, changing trains in Milan. Do we have to get the tickets validated in Milan before boarding? I've traveled by train within Italy before - no reserved seats - and understand the validation is necesary because the tickets are good for an extended period of time. The tickets we will have, have specific seat assignments and I believe will be good only for a certain day.

Hi SC,

No one will complain if you validate your ticket in Milan, although there could be a problem if you don't.

ES* tickets are refundable after the train leaves.

((I))

Are you traveling on one ticket, Venice-Milan or two, Venice-Milan and Milan-Paris.

if the latter you'd have to validate.

Dukey - just to be clear for the OP do you mean:
"Are you traveling on one ticket, Venice-Paris...".

I think you're right that if it is one ticket all the way through to Paris then you only need to validate once.

Cls2Paris,

Thank you for correcting my mistake. Yes, that is what I meant.

Two tickets - changing trains in Milan. So we should take the time to validate in Milan ... even though the fare reserved and pre-purcahsed, only good for that particular day?

Reason I am asking is that we have a short layover between trains (20 minutes) and we are not at all familiar with the Milan station. Stopping to validate the tickets is just one more obstacle to making our connection ... but I guess getting fined for not doing so could be pretty awful, too.

Gee. This is news to me. I thought generally if you have specific reserved tickets for specific train, date, time, and seats then you don't need to validate at all. Is this something new?

I do know that on the Eurostars in Italy I have been specifically told by the conductor that no validation is necessary.

NeoPatrick,

PREM tickets in France do not need to be validated, but they are non-refundable if the traveler misses his train. I suspect that if a ticket is refundable, even with if a service charge is levied, validation is required.

Umm. I'm really trying to understand that lost post but it must be past my bedtime.

If you had a "refundable" reserved seat ticket for a train, but you missed that train so you needed to get your refund -- it would have to be validated? How or why would you validate a ticket when you missed your train? What would the validation show anyway? I mean if the train departed from Paris at 10 AM and you're standing in the ticket office at 11 AM trying to get a refund, obviously you aren't using that scheduled ticket. What would be the point of it being validated? What am I not understanding here?

Validation is required on the day you intend to travel. On the contrary, you cannot take a validated ticket and then try to get a refund or re-schedule because you missed the train.

Hi SC,

>Stopping to validate the tickets is just one more obstacle to making our connection ...

You put the ticket into the box at the head of the track as you go onto the platform. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds.

((I))

Scdreamer, Milano Centrale is a large station with lots of platforms but 20 minutes is MORE than enough time to change there and as Ira has pointed out, you can easily validate your tickets as required at the head of the platform.

I think Michael is saying that if you have a ticket that can be refundable, it is required you validate such a ticket when you do get on the train. No, you don't validate it to get a refund, as that means it was used.

YOu have to validate French train tickets when they are used even when they are only for a certain day, if it's a regular fare.

OP - if you bought the ticket in the U.S. thru someone like RailEurope then you never have to validate any tickets they issue i believe and just get on train. This is probably for ease of use and the fact that such a ticket can only be refunded thru RailEurope and not in Europe

you probably bought from sncf online so that doesn't apply

Yep - SNCF tickets ... which brings up another question, though. We have a short layover between trains in Milan - in the event that the first train is running too late for us to make the connection, what happens? I understand the ticket we have will not be refundable, but will they let us go on the next train? And who would we even talk to about this if it happens ... SNCF is not an agent at Milano Centrale, as far as I know.

Ugh - this whole train issue - which is really such a small component of our month-long trip, is taking more time and energy than everything else combined!

It seems you should be able to validate the Milan-Paris ticket in Venice when you validate the Venice-Milan ticket - why would this not be allowed - or do you have to do it only at Milan Centrale.

In any case it seems you've built little time between connecting trains in the megaloptic station - why not just book an earlier of at least hourly trains and give yourself more time to change. Perhaps you can change the Venice-Milan ticket in Venice to allow more time. Italian trains, of course, can be 'ritardo' as well.

Wish we could book an earlier train ... but we've already paid for the tickets by credit card - they're supposed to be mailed to an address in Venice, as you can't pick up SNFC international tickets.

In retrospect, I probably could have found an easier and less stressful way to arrange for our train trip, but c'est la vie, we are in it now.

Worse case scenario, we would have to re-book in Milan and try to get a refund later, I guess. I am deciding not to ruminate on this anymore. Whatever happens, happens. It's not going to be the end of the world, no matter how it turns out.

I would think you may be able to change the SNCF portion Venice-Milan in Venice it seems anyway. Worth a try

CHILL OUT....validate the tickets. If you miss the connection in Milan just go down one flight to the international windows and present the ticket, SNCF-issued or not..they'll know exactly what to do.

Hi SC,

>..this whole train issue... is taking more time and energy than everything else combined!<

Perhaps because you are over-worried about it? :)

It's only 2:35 hr V to M on the ES*. It is highly unlikely that your train will be 20 min late.

However, if you do miss your train you can get a new seat reservation and a ticket on the next train if you apply within 3hr of the train's departure. There will be a charge, which could be up to 1/2 the ticket price.

((I))