train delayPassengers whose Italo train arrives more than 60 minutes late at their final destination have a right to compensation, which goes from 25% (60-119 min) to 50% (120 min or more) of the ticket price, and will be automatically paid by the Company usually within 7 days from the travel date.


Italo train delays: how to request compensation

1) Trenitalia and Italo

In recent years, more and more passengers have decided to travel by train, instead of by plane, especially because of their speed and convenience to the center of the cities (almost all Italian airports are either in the suburbs or outside of the cities. For example, Linate or Malpensa airports for Milan, Fiumicino or Ciampino airports for Rome, Caselle airport for Turin, etc.). As a matter of fact, passengers can leave the center of Milan and reach the center of Rome in exactly three hours.

In Italy, there are two main train companies that allow passengers to travel throughout the Country. One is Trenitalia (Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane) and the other one is Italo (NTV).

Italo has high-speed trains that connect major Italian cities, while Trenitalia, in addition to high-speed trains, also has regional/interregional trains that connect smaller towns.

The two companies are more or less equivalent as far as quality and number of services go. They both offer online services (including e-tickets, hotel and car rental offers), quite comfortable seats and little tables, sockets, air conditioning, wi-fi (you can also watch movies on board), etc., and acceptable customer services. It is usually possible to eat and drink sandwiches, salads, snacks, chips, coffee, water, wine, etc. on board, either at the vending machines or at the bars. Otherwise, it is possible to order “à la carte” hot or cold dishes from the restaurants (Trenitalia – Italo).

Pets are allowed on board provided some specific rules are respected (Trenitalia – Italo).

Most of the time you will see that their ticket prices and offers are similar, or at least not very different one from the other (this can be considered a little suspicious, if we might say so). Tickets are not very cheap, nevertheless there are always offers on, so an early bird booking could save you up to half of the price of the ticket.

We can say that they are both two good train companies and, therefore, are quite interchangeable.

Railroad transportation has become very efficient recently. However, it is useful to know what your rights are and how to ask compensation in case of train delay.

2) Your right to compensation in case of Italo train delays

Right to compensation in case of train delays is set forth by EC Reg. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council dated October 23, 2007.
Italo automatically “pays compensation (see below) for late arrivals at your final destination in the following amounts:
1) 60 – 119 minutes delay   25% of the ticket price, not including the cost of accessory services;
2) 120 minutes or more delay   50% of the ticket price, not including the cost of accessory services.n1
Art. 17, par. 4, of Reg. 1371/2007 establishes that “the passenger shall not have any right to compensation if he is informed of a delay before he buys a ticket, or if a delay due to continuation on a different service or re-routing remains below 60 minutes.” Moreover, no compensation is paid if the delay is due to natural calamities, strikes, demonstrations, or actions carried out by passengers or third parties.

3) How to request compensation

According to the Company, compensation is automatically “paid” within seven days of the late service, and in any case within 30 days when it is necessary to establish liability. Therefore, compensation will be credited to your Credito Italo account or, if you are registered for the Italo Più program, to your Borsellino Italo account.
In both cases, Italo will send you an e-mail confirming the crediting. If you are not registered for the Italo Più, in order to receive the e-mail confirming the crediting, you must provide your e-mail address at the time of purchase.
To check that the amount has been credited to your account, you can call the Pronto Italo Contact Center, or go to “Casa Italo”, or to the “Manage Journey” area on the italotreno.it. website. In all cases, passengers will be asked to provide their ticket code, first and last name (associated with the ticket).
 
It is advisable to keep a copy of your ticket in case of further need.
n1 Pursuant to art. 17 of Reg 1371/2007 “The calculation of the period of delay shall not take into account any delay that the railway undertaking can demonstrate as having occurred outside the territories in which the Treaty establishing the European Community is applied.”

Claudia

40 Comments
  1. Ritardo treno italo da bologna a roma termini 19 maggio 2017 treno numero 9929

  2. It is now 30 days since our Italo train was delayed by 3 hours 30 minutes (* hour journey instead of 4 hours 30 minutes). We have not received compensation, and have not received an email. We have tried telephoning Italo, and sent an Email, but are sent in circles. Whay should we do next?

  3. It is now 30 days since our Italo train was delayed by 3 hours 30 minutes (8 hour journey instead of 4 hours 30 minutes). We have not received compensation, and have not received an email. We have tried telephoning Italo, and sent an Email, but are sent in circles. Whay should we do next? Our ticket code was:U67JMS

    • Dear Derek,

      In order to understand your case, we will try to get in touch (on your behalf) with ITALO tomorrow.

      We will get back to you as soon as we have an answer.

      Thank you,
      VI.

      • Dear Derek,
        We received your voucher numbers, that we will send you via email to protect your privacy.

        Please visit the support page http://www.italotreno.it/en/support-contacts>>click verify voucher status (bottom left)>>insert your voucher and ticket numbers>>insert your personal details in order to receive your money.

        Thank you for contacting VI.

  4. My train was delayed for 2.5 hours.
    I was signed and get email for 7 euro compensation. but i bought tickes for 4 person.
    Then i called to +390689371892 (spent 11 euros for communication) and received a number of vaucher for 3 passengers and email address for trying to get compensation for the my card relazioni.clientela@ntvspa.it
    my compensation 7 euro, for 3 passengers 6.45. why?
    can i take money to my card?
    Поезд Милан-Флоренция задержали на 2,5 часа. Билетов куплены на 4-х, зарегистрирована на сайте только я одна.
    Пришло письмо о компенсации для меня на 7 евро.
    Чтобы узнать код ваучера для остальных пришлось звонить на платный номер (потратила 11 евро).
    Получила номер ваучера (для 3 пассажиров сумма меньше 6,45? почему не понятно)

    спросила о возможности перевода суммы на карту, дали адрес relazioni.clientela@ntvspa.it

    Похоже потратила лишние 11 евро, посмотрим что ответят..

    • Dear Luna,
      Thank you for your query.
      We will get back to you via email.
      VI.

  5. We have traveled From Venice to Rome on the 24th of December 2017 and it got delayed more than 2 hours. When we checked with the agents at the station they said we will be contacted via the email that we have provided. but Up to date e have not received any email or any compensation. Pls do advice on how to get the same.

    • Dear Nishali,
      In order to protect your privacy, we will get back to you via email.

      Thank you for your query,
      David.

  6. Hi, I am trying a refund in Italo Train that I canceled. They tod I will get 80% refund and will receive a e-mail, but I never received anything and I can’t contact them on e-mail. I have the ticket here.

    thanks

  7. Dear Mauricio,
    In order to protect your privacy, we will get back to you via email.

    Thank you for your query,
    David.

  8. Dear Vademecum,

    Our Italo train on 8th May from Florence to Milan was delayed by three hours.

    We have no Italo online account, we purchased the tickets at an italo ticket vending machine at Florence station with a debit card.

    On the italo website they request a voucher code in order for us to claim compensation. However, it is impossible to establish where to obtain a voucher code from. When we ring their customer service, we are sent round in circels.

    Can you help?

    Many thanks,
    Carina

    • Dear Carina,
      Thank you for your email.

      I will get back to you as soon as possible.

      Regards,
      David.

  9. Nous avons voyagé par ITALO le 8/9/2018 de MILAN Centrale à ROME. Le train est arrivé avec plus de 2 heures et quart de retard . Nous ne savons pas comment obtenir la compensation sachant que nous avons acheté nos billets à partir de la France via internet et payé par carte de paiement Sur le site est évoqué un remboursement automatique dans les 7 jours, nous n’avons rien reçu. Nous n’avons pas reçu d’e-mail mais nous ne nous souvenons pas si nous l’avions indiqué lors de l’achat des billets Nous ne pouvons téléphoné en Italie car nous ne parlons pas l’italien ni l’anglais et en aucun cas nous n’avons de compte PIU
    Comment devons nous procéder? cordialement

    • Lory,
      Selon le site web d’Italo, l’indemnisation est automatiquement reconnue dans 30 jours. Pour vérifier le remboursement, allez à la section “Fai da te” de la page “Assistance” du site Internet d’Italo et cliquez sur “Monetizza Indennizzo” si vous avez un Bon ou sur “Verifica il tuo Credito Italo”. Autrement,
      vous devez appeler le call center de Italo (06 0708), donner votre numéro de billet, votre adresse e-mail indiquée au moment de l’achat via Internet, et demander un remboursement.

  10. Bonjour,

    Nous avons voyagé avec ITALO le 13 Septembre 2018 de ROME TERMINI à VENISE MESTRE. Le train est arrivé avec environ 30 minutes de retard à Termini; ensuite arrivés à bord du train il y a eu de gros problèmes de places pour une grande partie des voyageurs ; les numéros de places attribués ne correspondaient pas aux places existantes dans le train. Nous avons donc du restés debout avec nos bagages une bonne partie du voyage car la voiture ou nous étions était déjà complète.

    Nous avons essayé de passer directement par le site web d’Italo pour porter réclamation mais ils nous demandent un “Voucher Code” que nous n’avons pas.

    Comment pouvons-nous procéder ?

    Merci d’avance.

    • Vous devez vous présenter dans une gare italienne où il y a un billetterie Italo, si possible à Rome, ou vous devez appeler le call center de Italo (06 0708), donner votre numéro de billet, votre adresse e-mail indiquée au moment de l’achat via Internet, et demander un remboursement.

      Merci,
      David.

      • Bonsoir,

        Merci pour votre précision. Nous avons appelé ITALO afin de leur expliquer la situation : que l’on était restés debout pendant 1h dans le train en marche car les places que l’on nous avait attribuées n’existaient pas. Ils n’ont rien voulu savoir.

        Auriez-vous une adresse mail à nous communiquer ? Car ils ont nous raccroché au nez deux fois et ils ne nous répondent plus…

        Merci

        • Vous pouvez essayer de contacter Italo par le link suivant https://www.italotreno.it/it/contatti-supporto. Au bas de la page, vous trouverez “Modulo reclami” et un bouton “Compila il modulo” (Remplir le formulaire). Cliquez sur compila il modulo et voyez si vous pouvez envoyer une contestation à Italo.

          Merci,
          David

          • Bonjour,

            Nous avons essayé de remplir le formulaire mais aucune catégorie correspond à notre “problème”. Merci de votre suggestion.

            Notre dernier moyen est de pouvoir les contacter par mail, auriez-vous une adresse à nous donner ?

            De nouveau merci.

          • Je vous conseille de remplir le formulaire quand même, même s’il est dans une autre catégorie, en précisant si possible l’incident spécifique dans lequel vous vous êtes retrouvé.

            J’ai trouvé les adresses e-mail suivantes (assistenza.clienti@ntvspa.it relazioni.clientela@ntvspa.it relazioni.clienti@ntvspa.it info@ntvspa.it ) mais je ne les ai jamais utilisées et je ne peux pas garantir qu’elles sont actives.

            Merci,
            David.

          • Hi David I need some help with my Italo request. I cannot monetise as it keeps asking for my VAT number or Tax Code. can you please assist with my refund. Thank you!

          • Hi,
            I am very sorry but I cannot assist you at this time. You need to contact Italo’s call center.

  11. Nous venons d’appeler le service client d’Italo en leur expliquant notre problème. Nous lui avons expliqué que nous sommes restés debout pendant 1h dans le train. Elle n’a rien voulu savoir et nous a raccroché au nez. Une honte…

    Es ce que quelqu’un aurait le mail de leur assistance?

  12. Le service client de Italo est vraiment honteux. Après de multiples reprises, une personne nous a répondu en francais mais celle ci ne comprenait pas notre problème. Pour elle, c’est normal de rester debout pendant 1h dans un train sans place.

    Nous avons essayé de rappeler et ils nous laissent en attente ou nous raccrochent au nez….

    Je n’ai jamais vu ca. Un train qui arrive avec 30 minutes de retard, qui reste en gare 15 minutes, dont les places sur les billets n’existent pas. Dans lequel, nous sommes restés 1h debout à attendre qu’on nous trouve des places et avec un service client qui ne comprend rien et qui nous raccroche au nez.

  13. Hi. Thank you if you can help. I have received compensation voucher numbers from Italo following a delay in October. I wanted to get it paid as money so I fill in their ‘monetize’ page with my bank details, voucher numbers, address etc but when i press ‘confirm’ at the end of the page nothing happens. I’ve tried with Safari and Chrome browsers but nothing happens. It’s expensive to call Italy from my home phone in the UK so is there an email address I could use to contact them please? Thank you, Jeremy Williams

  14. Hi David, we are from U.S.A. our train from florence to venice was delayed more than 120 minutes and therefore were given vouchers that are worth of 83 Euros. However from the compensation page, we are asked for IBAN of our bank account which US based banks do not have or use. Could you help credit this amount back to our credit card? Or, if not, how should we proceed? I have entered our Citibank’s SWIFT code, but in U.S. bank wire transfers require American Banking Association routing number plus bank account number, and on the compensation page, there’s no field for ABA routing number, and I just entered our bank account number. I am not sure this would work. In case of failed transfer, could you let me know? Also Citibank charges a $15 fee for incoming wires which is insanely expensive. So the best way is to still credit BACK this amount BACK to our original credit card used in online purchase. Can you help get this done this way, i.e., crediting back to the original purchase credit card?

    Hope this is clear enough for you and many thanks.

    • I will send you an email as soon as possible.

      • Hi david,sorry for the delay in responding. I have not received the above said email from you. Can you please resend? I have already filled the refund claim with the IBAN info blank. Can you advise on what to do next? If I try to fill-in the ABA(Americans blanking association) plus the account number the IBAN field does not allow that many digits. Many thanks. Regards YC

  15. Hi David,

    I have the same situation as the previous commenter – we are from the U.S.A. and our train from Florence to Venice was delayed more than 120 minutes and therefore were given vouchers that are 50% of the amount we paid. Could this amount be credited back to our original credit card used in online purchase?

    Thank you.

  16. Hi David,

    Thank you for the information you have given here. I’m from Australia and have the same problem as the two Americans who have written here – I can’t enter details for Australia, and it would be very helpful to have the money refunded to the debit card I used to make the purchase. Is this possible?

    Thank you,
    Daniel

  17. Good afternoon,

    I am also having a hard time monetizing my refund. It keeps on asking my to enter my Tax id and won’t let me enter any more information. I am also from the USA. I can see the 50% refund on the ticket just can’t get any further.

    thanks,

    Amanda

    • Unfortunately, it is very complicated with Italo.

      Considering the requests I received, I will try to contact the Company and see if they can give me a final answer on this matter. I will then post a comment here or publish a new post.

      Thank you,
      D.

  18. Good evening,

    I am experiencing the same problem as Amanda. I don’t know what is the Tax id and cannot click confirm. I am also from the US. I am supposed to have 50% refund. Please let me know if you know how to proceed.

    Thank you so much.

  19. Dear Davide,

    I have not received a voucher as I bought my ticket as a guest account- would you be able to ask Italo on my behalf? I have submitted the claim form too. Ticket code R7955C.

    Many thanks,

    Charlotte

    • I cannot do what you are asking me. I am sorry,

      I am trying to get in touch with Italo, but they are not very helpful.

      I will let everyone know as soon as I have news.

  20. Same probelm as all the previous users outside of Europe. Italo requires an IBAN code to fill the “monetization” form for a refund, but most countries outside of Europe aren’t in the IBAN system.
    It’s pretty shocking how unprofessional Italo seems to be.
    I was wondering if there had ever been any more info from then since 2019. Thank you very much!
    G

Leave a Reply