Trenitalia’s new Espresso Riviera service between Nice and Milan will not be stopping in Monaco, as had been previously advertised, after it was revealed that the train will be running on diesel fuel rather than being electrically powered.
Interest in the new service has been building since the plans were announced earlier this year, but passengers who had been hoping to embark and disembark in the Principality will be disappointed to learn that the Monaco stop has been removed from the schedule.
In light of revelations that the Espresso Riviera train will be powered by diesel engines instead of electric, the authorities have decided that it would not be safe for the subterranean Gare de Monaco Monte-Carlo to welcome the service, citing concerns over the station’s ventilation systems and the emissions that would be produced by the train while it paused to welcome or bid farewell to passengers in the Principality.
The planned stops in Nice and Menton will, however, be maintained.
See more: Trenitalia announces plans for two new train lines through the south of France
While frustrating in the short term, especially for those who have already purchased tickets for the service, which will be up and running from 3rd August, there is still hope that the Monaco stop will be restored in the future.
“Until the last minute, we negotiated with Akiem (a subsidiary of SNCF that rents locomotives) to obtain an electric locomotive,” Marco Caposciutti, the president of Trenitalia France told Monaco Matin. “But it will not be possible for this summer, the equipment is limited. We hope to change the situation next year.”
For more information about the service and its updated timetable, click here.
Read related:
Introducing Espresso Riviera, the new scenic train from Nice to Milan
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