MILAN will soon be linked to another lesser-visited city in the south of Italy thanks to a new sleeper train.
The new route will make it easier for holidaymakers to travel the length of the country.
The sleeper service will run between Milan in the north to Lecce in the south of the country.
Government-owned Trenitalia will operate the new route.
While the national railway operator already runs a handful of daily services between Milan and Lecce, the new weekend service will be the company’s first sleeper service between Milan and Lecce.
Two new Frecciarossa trains will travel between Milan and Lecce during the evening, making weekend breaks much easier for those who want to explore Pugliese towns like Lecce, Brindisi and Bari.
Slated to launch in June, the service will leave Milan at 10.45pm before arriving in Lecce at 7.57am the following morning.
The sleeper service will stop at several stations along the route, including Milano Rogoredo, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna Centrale.
Foggia will be the next calling point on the route – nearly five hours after the service leaves Bologna Centrale.
The train will then call at other stations like Barletta, Bari Centrale, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni and Brindisi before eventually arriving in Lecce.
Journeys will take nine hours to complete, with ticket prices starting at €39 (£33) for “FrecciaYoung” passengers.
Super economy tickets start from €55 (£47) for a full paying adult, with upgrade options to Business and Executive cabins also available.
The new route has been announced as part of the train company’s new summer programme.
Other new routes will also begin to operate across the country, including eight daily connections between Milan and Reggio Calabria, two connections between Venice and Reggio Calabria, 16 daily connections between Rome and Reggio Calabria and 13 daily connections between Rome and Puglia.
The cheap price does come with a cost, however – in that there are no beds on the train with passengers having to sleep in their standard seats.
There are is no dining cart either, so people will have to bring their own food or use the vending machine onboard.
Full train times of new Milan-Lecce Sleeper Service
The new train route is slated to launch in June and will operate in both directions
Milan to Lecce Timetable:
- Milano Rogoredo 10:55pm
- Parma 11:41pm
- Reggio Emilia – 11:56pm
- Modena – 12:11am
- Bologna Centrale – 12:35am
- Foggia – 5:20am
- Barletta – 5:49am
- Bari Centrale 6:28am
- Monopoli – 6:50am
- Fasano – 6:59am
- Ostuni – 7:11am
- Brindisi – 7:34am
- Lecce – 7.57am
Lecce to Milan time table:
- Lecce – 9:05pm
- Brindisi – 9:27pm
- Ostuni – 9:50pm
- Fasano – 10:02pm
- Monopoli – 10:11pm
- Bari Centrale – 10:45pm
- Barletta – 11:21pm
- Foggia – 11:55pm
- Bologna Centrale – 5:34am
- Modena – 6:00am
- Reggio Emilia – 6:17am
- Parma – 6:35am
- Milano Rogoredo – 7:23am
- Milano Centrale – 7:35am
The sleeper train isn’t the only new European train that has launched in recent weeks.
Other new train routes
Earlier this month, a new train route relaunched after being closed for more than 30 years.
The train line connects Italy to Croatia via Slovenia – allowing customers to visit three countries on just one train.
Passengers can board at Villa Opicina train station in Trieste at 7:50am.
The first stop is on the Slovenian border in Sežana, followed by Divača, Pivka and Ilirska Bistrica, the final stop in Slovenia, at 8:54am.
The train then enters Croatia, stopping at Šapjane, Opatija Matulji and Rijeka, the final stop.
The entire journey takes around two hours and runs both ways.
Back in March, a 15-hour night train journey launched connecting Brussels and Prague for the first time.
Operated by European Sleeper, the route stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin and Dresden before arriving in Prague.
Sun Travel’s favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel’s journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
Dutch train operator GoVolta hopes to launch train routes from Amsterdam to Berlin and Copenhagen in 2025.
And Czechia public transport operator Leo Express has revealed plans to connect Belgium to Slovakia via a 19-hour train journey.