The Economist reports that, not only are
low-cost carriers like Ryanair and easyJet giving the eternally-in-peril Alitalia a run for its money on some
domestic air routes (more on that in a moment), but that the
trains are shaping up to be an even better option on long hauls.
A
new high-speed track on the
Bologna-Milan line will cut 30 minutes off the travel time; by the end of 2009, a similar project should be finished for
Bologna-Florence, slashing travel time from 60 to 30 minutes.
Planes still sound faster, right. Well remember: A 90 minute flight actually eats up approximately five hours of your time (give yourself an hour on each end to get to and from the airports, check in
at least an hour early for your flight, and pad that with another 30 minutes for luggage retrieval, missed airport trains, and the wise decision to arrive at the airport a wee bit early).
Still, you can't argue with low prices from
no-frills airlines--and air connections are a lot faster than trains for going from, say, Milan down to Apulia or Sicily.
The article cites only
easyJet's new route connecting Rome's Fiumicino airport with Milan's Malpensa airport, but know that easyJet also flies
from Rome to Bari and Palermo, and
from Milan to Naples, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Catania), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari and Olbia).
Meanwhile,
Ryanair--which is making a strong bid to oust Alitalia from its own market--now flies
from Milan to Rome, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari, and Alghero);
from Rome to Milan, Venice, Trapani, and Sardegna (Cagliari, Alghero);
from Bologna to Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Lamezia, and Sicily (Trapani); and
from Pisa to Bari, Lamezia, Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), and Sardegna (Caglieri, Alghero).
Also in the article: more news on the
announced rival to the Italian state railways that is aiming to provide high-speed service between Rome, Milan Turin/Torino), and Venice in 2011.
