The Italian State Railway comes to Malpensa Airport, but by bus

Malpensa has said farewell to the high-speed train, the Frecciarossa, but now, in return, the State Railway has made its reappearance at the airport with buses. From 18 March, BusItalia Fast, (a company that is part of the State Railway Group) will connect the airport with Aosta, Genoa, Savona, Sanremo, Ventimiglia, Verona, Padua and Venice. The network also includes Novara and Turin, which can also be reached by train.

The investment in road transport at Malpensa should not be surprising, as this is not the first time that the State Railway Group has provided bus links as an alternative to rail transport, which is more “natural”, in view of the group’s original mission. The new service, which is part of the activities aimed at expanding the catchment area of Malpensa, is the result of collaboration between the companies SEA and BusItalia Simet.

“With these links made by medium and long-distance buses, by one of the main players in the Italian market, passengers who live in the so-called extended catchment area, that is, at a distance of 300/400 km from Malpensa, will be able to set off from home for destinations such as the USA, Canada, Asia and the Middle East, on direct flights. In turn, international passengers who arrive in Milan-Malpensa Airport will be able to reach the main cities in Northern Italy, by travelling on buses equipped with maximum comfort,” the companies said.

“The development and integration of the different transport systems is one of our main objectives,” said Stefano Rossi, the CEO of BusItalia Sita Nord, the principal shareholder of Busitalia Simet. “With great enthusiasm, we wanted to set up this project with SEA to enhance the joint, integrated mobility service, by providing new travel solutions to get to and from Malpensa Airport in a safe, comfortable and economical way. BUSITALIA FAST, an ‘Intercontinental’ Travel Service.”

“We’re very happy with the collaboration with BUSITALIA FAST,” Andrea Tucci, SEA’s Aviation Development Vice President, added. “The project is part of the expansion of Malpensa’s catchment area and seeks to enable residents in all regions in North Italy to reach our airport easily and comfortably. We think the benefit for tourists to the area and to the incoming traffic as a result of the new BUSITALIA FAST connections will be considerable, especially when the collaboration with the airlines develops to reduce the seasonal nature, and to increase the tourist flows of the neighbouring Regions.”

Since 1 March, the distribution and sale of tickets for buses to and from Milan Malpensa on all of the BUSITALIA FAST and Trenitalia channels, including travel agencies, have already been available. From 18 March, three buses will run daily on the Liguria-Malpensa route, and two on the Venice-Malpensa-Turin route, with one bus a day (except on Wednesdays) continuing to Val d’Aosta, by BUSITALIA FAST.