Inside Italy: The rise of vintage tourist trains and will Rome's transport ever improve?

Local Italy

08-03-2025

Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip from Italy that you might not have heard about. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
Public transport in Rome is often the target of criticism, with both locals and tourists complaining about delays, overcrowding and overall unreliability.
The problem is anything but new.
In 2019, research by travel planner app Moovit found that public transport passengers in the city waited an average of 20 minutes for a bus, metro, tram or train to turn up.
This made the Roman transport network the slowest of any European capital surveyed, and placed it well behind other major Italian cities, including Venice (10 minutes), Milan (11 minutes), Genoa (12 minutes) and Florence (14 minutes).
The capital's metro system has also long been ranked among the smallest in Europe, as it operates only three lines (Metro A, B and C), with a total extension of around 60 kilometres (just over 37 miles).
For context, Spain's capital, Madrid, counts 12 lines, stretching for a total of 293 kilometres.
Finally, Rome's public transport has made international headlines on multiple occasions in recent years after several buses caught fire due to poor maintenance or mechanical failure.
Luckily, the phenomenon, dubbed by locals 'flambus', has not resulted in any serious injuries or casualties so far.
Safety concerns, delays and inefficiency have all led to transport operator Atac facing harsh criticism over the past few years.
But the operator has come under additional pressure in recent weeks after it was hit by a formal investigation over subpar service by Italy's competition authority AGCM.
AGCM said last week that the investigation was linked to allegations that Atac 'systematically failed to meet objectives' related to punctuality, safety measures and the functioning of elevators, escalators and moving walkways between 2021 and 2023.
The authority added that the operator's alleged failure to comply with the quality standards set out in its contract with the city of Rome may amount to 'unfair commercial practices' if proven.
Consumer group Codacons has expressed satisfaction over AGCM's decision to launch an investigation into Atac, saying that it validated 'the many complaints filed over the years [...] over poor public transport services in the capital".
Codacons President Massimiliano Dona also demanded that Atac temporarily reduce fares 'as a form of compensation to consumers" pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Though any fare reduction seems to be very unlikely at this point (especially as the outcome of the investigation is still months, if not years, away), I think that the recent investigation is an incredibly important signal for public transport passengers in Rome.
Italy's competition authority, which is also tasked with protecting consumers' rights, seems to have (at last) chosen to act on passengers' complaints, putting the screws on an operator that's been falling short of standards for a very long time.
Will Atac respond to the investigation by making serious adjustments to their business and ultimately improving services for customers?
Only time will tell.
What's certain at this point is that Rome deserves a public transport network and infrastructure that is worthy of its beauty.
Why are Italy's treni storici so popular?
Though some passengers may have not-too-distant memories of run-down trains trundling through the Italian countryside, national rail services have improved significantly in the past two decades and journeys are becoming faster and more comfortable.
But rail travel is not just an increasingly popular alternative to air travel for long-distance journeys; it's also currently playing a far bigger role in Italy's tourism industry than it ever did before.
In 2023, Italian state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) launched a number of new tourist-focused services known as Treni Turistici Italiani under plans to encourage people to travel beyond Italy's major cities and best-known destinations and support local economies in lesser-visited areas.
As part of the initiative, Ferrovie dello Stato also started to bring old trains dating as far back as the 1930s out of retirement, deploying them on designated scenic routes that offer travellers unique views of the Italian paesaggio.
What started out as a fairly limited venture offering only a handful of train journeys across the country now counts dozens of routes weaving their way through some of the most magnificent parts of the peninsula.
Among the most popular services are Abruzzo's Ferrovia dei Parchi, which takes passengers from Sulmona to Roccaraso and Castel Di Sangro on 1930s Centoporte carriages, and the Treno Natura, which takes travellers from Siena to small towns in Tuscany's countryside, including San Giovanni D'Asso, Castiglione d'Orcia and Asciano.
Other sought-after services include the Sebino express, which connects Milan and Brescia with a number of small towns in rural Lombardy, and the Reggia Express, which runs between Naples and Caserta.
But what's behind the popularity of these treni storici ('historical trains')?
The aura of nostalgia and romanticism associated with travelling aboard vintage trains with beautifully restored carriages, wooden interiors and classic designs cannot be overstated.
And the breathtaking landscapes some of these services glide through are an irresistible attraction for hundreds of travellers.
But it should also be noted travel on treni storici is heavily subsidised by local and regional governments.
This means that round-trip tickets are often only slightly more expensive than tickets for 'ordinary' regional train journeys operated by Trenitalia.
For instance, a one-way ticket on the Reggia Express only costs €4.90 for adults (and €2.45 for children aged 4 to 11).