The Trenord issue is back under discussion. Over the weekend, specifically on Saturday afternoon, there will be new cuts to circulation and this has also generated a reaction from the Democratic Party through Lecco councilor Gian Mario Fragomeli, who in recent days has participated in the Transport commission on the S7 Lecco-Molteno-Monza-Milan line and has now presented a new question. RFI has communicated that, due to upgrade work in Monza, from 2:45 p.m. on Saturday 29 to 7 a.m. on Sunday 30 June, the service of the lines passing through the station will undergo changes and variations.
In particular, from 2.45pm on the 29th to 7am on the 30th of June the movement of trains between Carnate Usmate and Monza will be suspended, with an impact on the service of the Milan-Lecco-Sondrio-Tirano, S8 Milan-Carnate-Lecco, Milan-Carnate-Ponte lines Saint Peter. The two stations will be connected by replacement buses.
From 9.03pm on the 29th to 7am on the 30th of June, train circulation will also be suspended between Seregno and Milan, with changes to the service of the RE80 Milan-Chiasso-Locarno, S11 Chiasso-Como San Giovanni-Milan, S9 Saronno-Seregno-Milan Lambrate lines . A replacement bus service will be activated between Seregno and Milan.
During interruption times, Trenord invites passengers to avoid using the lines affected by the changes.
Customers with tickets and passes for the Lecco-Monza route will be able to travel along the alternative routes via Molteno and via Bergamo-Treviglio with the same ticket. In addition, tickets and passes valid on the connections between Milan and Como San Giovanni/Camerlata can also be used on the Milan Cadorna-Saronno-Como Lago route.
The changes to the service for the Carnate-Monza interruption
During the times of traffic interruption between Carnate and Monza from 2.45pm on 29th to 7am on 30th June, trains on the Milan-Lecco-Sondrio-Tirano line will only travel between Colico and Carnate; trains on the S8 Milan-Carnate-Lecco line only between Lecco and Carnate; trains on the Milan-Carnate-Ponte San Pietro line only between Ponte San Pietro and Carnate.
Between Carnate and Monza a replacement bus service will be activated. Between Monza and Milan travellers will be able to use the service of the RE80 Locarno-Chiasso-Milan and S11 Chiasso-Como San Giovanni-Milan lines.
Service changes for the Seregno-Milan interruption
During the period of interruption of traffic between Seregno and Milan from 9.03pm on the 29th to 7am on the 30th June, trains on the RE80 Milan-Chiasso-Locarno line will only travel between Locarno and Seregno; trains on the S11 Chiasso-Como-Milan line only between Chiasso and Seregno.
To and from Como, travellers will be able to use the Como Lago/Camerlata-Milano Cadorna line. To and from Camnago-Lentate, the S4 Milano Cadorna-Camnago line will be available.
Due to the interruption, trains on the S9 Saronno-Seregno-Milano Lambrate line will only run between Saronno and Seregno.
Travelers can use the S4 Milano Cadorna-Camnago and Milano-Asso lines to and from Cesano Maderno; the regional and suburban lines that reach the station to and from Saronno – namely the Milano Cadorna-Novara Nord, Milano Cadorna-Como Lago, Milano Cadorna-Varese Nord-Laveno Mombello Lago, S1 Saronno-Milano Passante-Lodi, S3 Saronno-Milano Cadorna lines – and the Malpensa Express airport connection.
“In words this region wants to boost tourism, but in reality it completely discourages it. The umpteenth demonstration regarding the Lecco branch of the lake comes from the latest news from Trenord: it warns that there will be no trains to Lecco on the website and apps, which not everyone has on their smartphone, especially if they are tourists, only a day and a half before. For the rest, no vocal announcement, no communication or posting. It is definitely not the best way to attract crowds”, Gian Mario Fragomeli, regional councilor of the Democratic Party, is incredulous in front of the umpteenth gaffe by Trenord, this time not with commuters, but with weekend tourist traffic. For this reason he has presented a new question, for a written answer, on the lack of trains to Lecco on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June 2024.
“In the text I ask the regional transport councilor if the Lombardy Region, which has the task of verifying compliance with the Contract, monitoring the progress of the service, checking the level of quality provided, including punctuality and regularity, is aware of this serious inconvenience caused by such late communication. And how it intends to urge Trenord to provide more timely warnings, through all information channels, about scheduled interruptions and not just close to the interruptions themselves, in order to minimize inconvenience on a line that is particularly busy on weekends”, he says Fragomeli.
“I remember that only a few weeks ago we addressed, also with the Prefect, the situation that arose in the Varenna station, overcrowded with tourists waiting for trains during the weekend, dangerous and not at all civil. Precisely on that occasion, it was openly said, also by Trenord itself and by the Region, that the objective was, if anything, to strengthen the railway service on the line, to encourage tourist flows using public transport, to pay special attention for the lake and its pearls. And here we are: even an entire weekend without trains and communicated late and poorly”, insists the dem.
“In response to a previous question of mine, the Lombardy Region had informed me that, given the increasing demand for tourist mobility on holidays, it had asked Trenord to extend the Colico–Lecco service up to Milan and, with the time change in June, a completion of the RE8 schedule on Saturdays and holidays. On the other hand, the travel time from Milan to Lecco is less than an hour, there should be no problems. But today we are in the Far West, in the caravans: it takes hours to get 50 kilometers away. Imagine now that they have also removed the service and notified a moment in advance.”
Yet, Fragomeli is convinced, “Trenord has been aware for some time of the blocking of departures from Milan to Lecco for the days 29 and 30 June, after 2.20pm. After that time, starting from Milan, it will be possible to reach Lecco only by changing two trains and a bus, consequently increasing the travel time to almost two hours. The summary is one: we can only tell tourists that in the last weekend of June it is better for them to go elsewhere, if they don’t want to spend the day on trains and buses and they probably haven’t had time to find out. Incredible”, concludes the Pd councilor.
