Trenitalia: automatic reimbursements for delays on regional trains will start in January

News in sight for those who have to travel by train: from January 2025 for those who purchase the electronic ticket for the Trenitalia regional train, any refund will be automatic, with the usual rules. In the event of delays exceeding 60 minutes, those who purchased an electronic ticket will have the refund automatically credited to the card used for payment. The compensation will arrive within 30 days and will be equal to 25% of the ticket price in the event of a delay of between 60 and 119 minutes (for tickets worth at least 16 euros). However, it will be 50% in the event of a delay of 120 minutes or more (for tickets worth at least 8 euros). Compensation is not recognized for amounts lower than 4 euros.

Furthermore, from September 2024, for Frecce customers, “Smart Refund”, the new instant refund method, is available which speeds up and simplifies the process that leads to the disbursement of the amount due. Thanks to this new method you will be able to receive a refund instantly, with a refund of the amount due or as a bonus, depending on the customer’s preferences. At the moment, the service is available through the Smart Caring message/email that the traveler receives in the event of delay, cancellation, train strike or cancellation of the trip; in the coming weeks it will also be available in the dedicated sections on the App and on the Trenitalia website.

The CEO of Trenitalia Luigi Corradi had already announced it at the beginning of November while speaking during Expo Consumers 4.0 in Ancona. “We are working to facilitate the travel experience of passengers”, he said, also giving an example the Tap&Tap “which allows you to pay for the trip by directly placing the contactless payment card on the validator. This is a service that we have already started on some lines and which will increasingly spread nationwide.” “Already in 2023 we have started to have traffic volumes on our trains equal to pre-Covid levels – he added -. Today, passengers are increasing especially with regards to leisure and tourist mobility. For this reason, on the new Frecciarossa 1000s which will soon arrive on the platforms we have provided more space for luggage and greater accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility. All this while also helping families with ad hoc commercial plans for greater economic sustainability of travel.”

Corradi finally announced that soon “new, faster emergency locomotives will arrive and capable of quickly re-powering the train in difficulty, there will be an increase in emergency buses and so-called hot reserves, i.e. trains that facilitate the transfer of passengers and we are checking how to increase the number of batteries on the trains, to have air conditioning for longer and travel a few kilometers without power.”