Italy's Terror Trains (updated)
"In a country that has fewer kilometres of track per resident than the EU average, where high-speed trains are far from being a reality and passenger traffic continues to rise – 4.8% from 2005 to 2006 – even purchasing a ticket can pose problems. “Ticket dispensers are well distributed but there aren’t enough staffed counters”, says Altroconsumo. At peak times, only 60% of ticket counters are open. Milan and Naples are the worst stations for this". What about online tickets? “Everything is fine until you change your departure time, ask for a refund or purchase a ticket for international networks. There are no end of complaints”. Is it any surprise then, asks Altroconsumo, if rail is second from bottom, just ahead of urban bus and tram services, in the customer satisfaction table?" (Alessandra Mangiarotti, Il Corriere della Sera)
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