There punctuality of trains in Italy is improvingwith an increase in the percentage of trains on time especially for high speed and intercity services. However, the regional train remains the most punctual: over 90% arrive within 5 minutes from the scheduled time. However, problems remain, in particular as regards some specific sections: the most late train is the Frecciarossa 9658 (Reggio Calabria – Milan), with average delays of 46 minutes. According to data, Italian is on average Less latest in the Frecciarossa.
We specify that we do not have access to the official tables on which the statistics present in this article are based, therefore we cannot first personally check their accuracy. In this article we report the results declared by FS and Altroconsumo.
The data on the delays of trains in Italy
According to the official data of FS, which carried out an analysis on the basis of the starting and arrival tabulars in the national territory, the punctuality of trains is increasing:
- THE’High speed (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca) went from 67.4% to October 2024 to80.9% in February 2025 of trains arriving with a maximum of 10 minutes late.
- In the same time span, the Intercity Within 15 minutes late they went from 79.7% to 89.3%.
- However, the most reliable trains are to be regional: improved from 86.3% to 91.3% Within 5 minutes late, a surprisingly positive result.
These results are also due to the commitment for maintenance, with over a thousand active construction siteswhich while causing punctual inconvenience aim to make the railway network more efficient in the long run.
What are the most punctual and most late trains
The punctuality of trains is not homogeneous in the area. For example, high speed is still unstable on different paths. In particular, according to a quarterly investigation of Altroconsumo (based, standing for what was declared by the organization, on the departure and arrival times of the trains in various sections) relating to the period October-December 2024 the worst routes They are above all the long distance ones:
- Bari – Rome (Frecciargento): late in 95% of cases
- Salerno – Turin (Frecciarossa/Frecciargento): 65% of the trains late
- Lecce – Milan (Frecciarossa): only 5 arrivals on time out of 90, with average delays around 38 minutes
If we then focus on the individual convoys, from the analysis of Altroconsumo it appears that:
- The MORE LINKING TRAIN It was the Frecciarossa 9658 (Reggio Calabria – Milan) with average delays of 46 minutes, delays higher per hour in 21 days of the quarter and with record delays up to 468 minutes
- al second place We find the Frecciargento 8348 Bari – Rome: never punctual, with average delay 38 minutes.
- On the lowest step of this podium of delays, the Frecciarossa 8824 is placed instead Lecce – Milan: only 5 punctual arrivals out of 92 runs and an average delay 38 minutes.
These data are also confirmed by the investigation of Altroconsumo on 45 high -speed routes conducted between December 2024 and February 2025: i Frecciarossa have accumulated delays in 36% of cases.
AND Italian? Has arrived late in 26% of cases. The difference between the two railway companies is confirmed even if we focus on the individual routes. For example, on the Naples – Rome route, Italo records delays in 19%, against 25% of Frecciarossa. Italian It therefore offers a competitive advantage over punctuality Compared to the arrows.
Then going to analyze the Intercitythe data tell us that they suffer in particular on the Adriatic line and in Sicily. Finally, among the regional it stands out in the negative Trenord (Lombardy), whose regional punctuality reaches only 83%.
According to the regional data provided by FS for the first quarter of 2025, the best performances are concentrated in the north-east: The most virtuous region is Friuli – Venezia Giuliawith the 95.4% of punctual trainsfollowed by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (94.8%) and Veneto and Trentino Alto-Adige (93.5%). Abruzzo (93.8%), Marche (93.0%) and Tuscany (92.8%) follow up close
The distribution of delays is not homogeneous even on the basis of day of the week: The 75% of delays focuses in the weekdayswith peaks between 10–13 and 19–22. The Friday is, by far, the worst daywith 2,401 trains late out of 3,160 total, of which 434 with delays exceeding 30 minutes. Sunday is instead slightly quieter, but there are still about 1,800 delays per day.
The possible causes of trains delays
Trains delays are linked to multiple factors. Overall, the 34% of delays depends on the infrastructure (dated, especially in southern Italy, or congested), while 25% from rolling stock. Other recurrent causes of delay concern the Management of flowswith the impact of chain delays, maintenance (especially on nodal exchanges) and reprogramming on non -dedicated lines (for example, crossings in areas not designed for high speed).
Overall, the data therefore tell us that the situation of the Italian railways is slowly improving, but those who travel are still dealing with important delays, especially on long sections and high -speed trains.
