About this journey

The journey departs from Milano Centrale station, a monumental terminus that opened on 1 July 1931 to a design by architect Ulisse Stacchini, built in part to handle the surge in international traffic that followed the opening of the Simplon Tunnel in 1906. From here the Ferrovia Milano-Chiasso carries the train north, initially along a four-track corridor shared between trains to Como, Bergamo, and Lecco before the line narrows to two tracks beyond Monza. The line itself was completed through to Como in 1875, later passing into state ownership as part of Ferrovie dello Stato in 1905, and it remains electrified at 3,000 volts DC throughout the Italian section.

Approaching the border, the topography steepens considerably. A parallel freight bypass, incorporating the Monte Olimpino 2 tunnel at 7,207 metres, skirts the steep incline to Como — a measure of how much pressure this international corridor has historically placed on the infrastructure. Chiasso station sits at the crossing point itself: the northern terminus of the Italian-owned line and simultaneously the southern terminus of the Swiss Gotthard railway. Because the two networks differ in traction voltage and signalling, changing systems at Chiasso has long been necessary for through services — the SBB RABe 501 Giruno operating this service was designed to handle both. The opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel in December 2020 further strengthened Chiasso's role by cutting onward journey times to Bellinzona by 20 minutes.