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I took the Frecciarossa twice this May and the ride was extremely enjoyable. What wasn't as enjoyable were the prices - on order to get a reasonable price, you

I took the Frecciarossa twice this May and the ride was extremely enjoyable. What wasn't as enjoyable were the prices - on order to get a reasonable price, you need to book your trip weeks in advance. For adult business passengers, this is tolerable, but for families with kids ... ? If the trains are full (and, judging from my experience, they are), there need to be more of them.

LaurensBER 3y ago
Part of the issue with public transport is also very much a service issue. Switzerland has a fantastic "Easy ride" system where you swipe a button in an app to check-in and swipe it at your destination to check-out. It automatically combines trips and applies any relevant discounts. In The Netherlands you can check-in using a bank card so you don't even need an app. If we want to encourage people to use public transport more, we need to have such a system Europe wide. Grabbing a train should be more convenient than booking a flight, for a family with kids, making a reservation weeks in advanced , at a specific time isn't always reasonable and it's definitely not convenient.
- xenonite 3y ago
  Maybe this works in Switzerland, where delays are rare. But in Germany, where delays are frequently more than one hour, EU law requires the train company to pay back a part of the price because of the delay. But if you cannot show when you would have arrived with no delays, because you used such an app, it does make such an app unattractive.
- k8sToGo 3y ago
  EasyRide is quite buggy and at the end you still have to double check if what they charged is right.
- tremon 3y ago
  The Netherlands you can check-in using a bank card How does that work for a family with kids? FAFAIK you can't check in twice using the same card, so does every child need its own bank card or travel pass? In that case, when travelling with a group, I'd choose the app over a stack of plastic cards any day.
  - ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
    Nobody said you had to; you're still welcome to buy a ticket.
vladms 3y ago
It's not like they don't build them, it's just that it takes a long time. I know about the French plans, an order for 115 trains takes ~18 years (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_TGV_M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_TGV_M). And if you check the requirements, it might be worth it to take long, for example: "the new trains be at least 20% less expensive to purchase than their predecessors while possessing lower operating costs as well."
- WeylandYutani 3y ago
  In the Netherlands the problem is now getting enough train drivers, conductors and traffic controllers. The hardware is easy. Just throw enough money at it.
Iulioh 3y ago
The Freccia trains are the ""Standard but Luxury"" trains. If you need just to move and the speed is not that big of an issue the "treni regionali" are the main way of transport. Fixed and resonable fares.

LaurensBER 3y ago

Part of the issue with public transport is also very much a service issue. Switzerland has a fantastic "Easy ride" system where you swipe a button in an app to check-in and swipe it at your destination to check-out. It automatically combines trips and applies any relevant discounts. In The Netherlands you can check-in using a bank card so you don't even need an app. If we want to encourage people to use public transport more, we need to have such a system Europe wide. Grabbing a train should be more convenient than booking a flight, for a family with kids, making a reservation weeks in advanced , at a specific time isn't always reasonable and it's definitely not convenient.

xenonite 3y ago
Maybe this works in Switzerland, where delays are rare. But in Germany, where delays are frequently more than one hour, EU law requires the train company to pay back a part of the price because of the delay. But if you cannot show when you would have arrived with no delays, because you used such an app, it does make such an app unattractive.
k8sToGo 3y ago
EasyRide is quite buggy and at the end you still have to double check if what they charged is right.
tremon 3y ago
The Netherlands you can check-in using a bank card How does that work for a family with kids? FAFAIK you can't check in twice using the same card, so does every child need its own bank card or travel pass? In that case, when travelling with a group, I'd choose the app over a stack of plastic cards any day.
- ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
  Nobody said you had to; you're still welcome to buy a ticket.

vladms 3y ago

It's not like they don't build them, it's just that it takes a long time. I know about the French plans, an order for 115 trains takes ~18 years (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_TGV_M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_TGV_M). And if you check the requirements, it might be worth it to take long, for example: "the new trains be at least 20% less expensive to purchase than their predecessors while possessing lower operating costs as well."

WeylandYutani 3y ago
In the Netherlands the problem is now getting enough train drivers, conductors and traffic controllers. The hardware is easy. Just throw enough money at it.

Iulioh 3y ago

The Freccia trains are the ""Standard but Luxury"" trains. If you need just to move and the speed is not that big of an issue the "treni regionali" are the main way of transport. Fixed and resonable fares.