New sleeper train service launches in Europe – connecting country’s capital to underrated city away from the crowds
ROME 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 the Italian capital and Lecce – a lesser-visited town in Puglia, in the south of the country.
FS Treni Turistici Italiani will operate the new route as part of its newly-launched vintage train routes.
The Espresso Salento will run between Rome and Lecce on four set dates in August, with four other departures already taking place in July.
Trains will travel between Rome and Lecce in the evening, making weekend breaks, or week-long adventures, between the two destinations much easier.
Services will leave Rome at 9.10pm before arriving in Lecce at 8.45am the following morning.
The sleeper service will stop at several stations along the route, including Foggia, Bari Centrale, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Ostuni and Brindisi.
Passengers will be able to book themselves into sleeper carriages and they’ll be able to enjoy both breakfast and dinner in the restaurant car.
Four or six-bed couchettes are also available to book for families who want to share a cabin space.
Journeys will take nearly 12 hours to complete, with ticket prices starting at €44 (£37).
Services are scheduled to depart from Rome on August 13 and August 22, with return journeys from Lecce taking place the following day.
Full train times of new Rome-Lecce Sleeper Service
TRAINS along the route are slated to run in August.
Rome to Lecce Timetable
- Rome Termini – 9.10pm
- Caserta – 11.44pm
- Foggia – 1.45am
- Bari Centrale – 06.52am
- Polignano a Mare – 07.19am
- Monopoli – 07.27am
- Fasano – 07.37am
- Ostuni – 07.50am
- Carovigno – 07.58am
- Brindisi – 08.18am
- Lecce – 08.45am
Lecce – Rome Timetable
- Lecce – 7.45pm
- Brindisi – 08.10pm
- Carovigno – 08.28pm
- Ostuni – 08.36pm
- Fasano – 20.49pm
- Monopoli – 9.00pm
- Polignano a Mare – 21.08pm
- Bari Centrale – 9.57pm
- Foggia – 04.07am
- Caserta – 06.23am
- Rome Termini – 10.20am
Earlier this year, another new sleeper service launched between Milan and Lecce, with the government-owned Trenitalia operating the route.
The new weekend service became the company’s first sleeper service between Milan and Lecce when it launched in June.
Since June, Frecciarossa trains have been travelling between Milan and Lecce during the evening.
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.
The new sleeper trains aren’t the only new European trains that have 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.
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