fco transfer with person in wheelchair

[mono]

hi everyone, i will be traveling to italy fco airport on may 21st to take RC cruise at 8pm. from this forum i read people saying to take the regional train to Trastevere and from there to cruise port. the leornardo express is not frequent as regular train. i will be arriving at fco at 1pm. i would like to know answer to the following:

 

1. is there elevator at fco airport to get to the regional train? if yes, is there any gap to get in the train. i guess there is but i would like to know if the gap is too big that one person wont be able to get the wheelchair in

 

2. at Trastevere station, is there elevator to get the other train to cruise port.

 

3. is there any alternative like a public bus at the airport that takes me to cruise port.

 

i think taking a taxi is too expensive. if i can do in public transportation then i would love to do that? thanks

[euro cruiser]

The train is difficult, but not impossible. There are elevators at the airport station as well as at the transfer point, Rome Trastevere. There are no elevators, however, at Civitavecchia.

 

Most trains to Civitavecchia arrive at tracks that require you to go down a full flight of stairs and up the other side to get to the station. If you require help you must arrange this with Trenitalia in advance.

 

More information on help here: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2396eb82a8fbf310VgnVCM1000008916f90aRCRD

 

The fixed fare for a taxi is €120 Euro (from FCO to the cruise port).

Edited April 10, 2015 by euro cruiser

[mono]

thank you euro_cruiser. what about getting into the train at fco and Trastevere station? is the gap between platform and train too big to get wheelchair in or i can manage it? also, do you know if the trains are crowded around 2pm time

[euro cruiser]

It's not the gap you need to be concerned about, it's the two or three steps up into the train. If you are unable to get out of the chair and climb two steps, or if you are alone, you must call ahead to arrange help.

 

I've done this in Italy and other European countries and the staff has always been very helpful. Older trains and stations mean temporary ramps have to be set up to get a wheelchair passenger from the platform to the train, and then off at the next stop. I've been able to arrange it at the last minute (in Brussels), but it's better if arranged in advance.

 

In Civitavecchia they have a lifting system to get you across the tracks. Again, prior notice is required so they have it in place when needed.

[mono]

thanks again. this is useful information. i contacted group in charge of providing assistance and they told me they dont provide help at Trastevere statation. they recommended to take leonardo express to roma terminiti and then another train to cruise port. they can provide assistance at those station but not Trastevere. leonardo express doesnt come frequently. so i guess i will have to wait 1 or 2 at the airport. thanks again and keep up the good work helping other people

[euro cruiser]

Since you have to go to Termini and pay for the LE, you might consider waiting for a Frecce train to Civitavecchia rather than a regional. The Frecce will cost more (at the base rate of €15 it will be €10 more than the regional train) but it will be more comfortable. The Frecce travels non-stop from Termini to Civitavecchia so you avoid all of the jostling that happens at each of up to 12 stops on the regional trains.

Edited April 10, 2015 by euro cruiser

[mono]

thanks. i was looking at trenitalia.com website and i can see that frecce train also leave from fco airport to termini and from there to cruise port. looks like the frecce come one hour ealier than the leonardo express which is good for me. less time waiting for train. can i take the frecce at fco to termini instead of leonardo express? thanks

[euro cruiser]

You can take the Frecce from the airport if you prefer.

 

There are two Leonardo Express trains every hour from the airport, at 23 and 53 minutes after the hour. There are only two Frecce, at 11:08 AM, 3:08 PM.

[mono]

ok cool. i look at the trenitalia website and it looks like the next leonardo express is at 15:53. it looks like i cannot buy ticket for previous time even though it shows up in the website. the button to add to the shopping card is disable. i am guessing it is sold out. are the seats reserve on this train? i thought tickets cannot be sold out and you can use ticket at any time you want

[euro cruiser]

There's no such thing as "sold out" when it comes to the Leonardo Express. There are no seat assignments so they will continue to sell tickets until they run out of paper to print them on (Weimer republic anyone?). You simply buy the ticket when you get to the airport and get on the next train.

Edited April 11, 2015 by euro cruiser

[mono]

i see. this is weird. i went to trenitalia.com and enter fco airport to rome termini and the other way fco to cruise port station. i will be arriving on may 21 at 1pm so i entered 2pm in the tren website and it appears that the next leornardo express train is as 15:53. i didnt see :23 and :53 of every hour

i am not sure why the next train after 2pm is at almost 4pm. thats 2 hour different. i thought the ticket may have been sold out between 2pm - 4pm. that is why i ask. do you have any idea why this is the case? do you recommend buying the ticket when i get there instead of trying online

[mono]

i found out that the :23 and :53 time is only when you go from fco to roma termini and not from fco to cruise port. they use a combination of leonardo express and frecce train and schedule them together within reasonable time and i think that is why i see 15:53 LE. i saw an inter city train from rome to cruise port but there was no name of the train. is that different than the frecce? do you know if that one is wheelchair accessible also? maybe i can buy ticket separate. fco to roma in LE and roma to cruise port in an inter city train instead of frecce which doesnt pass frequently? any comments

[slidergirl]

Dive down a little further into the Trenitalia reference for the assistance. Civi is mentioned as a place that offers assistance. Sounds like the stations that offer the assistance has lifts to get the passengers on/off the trains and will get you off the platforms into the stations. Absolutely worth looking into. It must be requested in advance, so look closely at those web pages for where you can contact them (some had just phone#, another one had some email addresses).

I had to use assistance services one trip after I broke my leg and was in a wheelchair - the services offered at the airports I used (FLO and CDG) were amazing. I can't imaging FCO being any less good at assisting you. But, you do have to pre-arrange it.

 

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

[euro cruiser]

i found out that the :23 and :53 time is only when you go from fco to roma termini and not from fco to cruise port. they use a combination of leonardo express and frecce train and schedule them together within reasonable time and i think that is why i see 15:53 LE. i saw an inter city train from rome to cruise port but there was no name of the train. is that different than the frecce? do you know if that one is wheelchair accessible also? maybe i can buy ticket separate. fco to roma in LE and roma to cruise port in an inter city train instead of frecce which doesnt pass frequently? any comments

The IC trains are older stock and the route from Termini to Civitavecchia includes one stop, while the Frecce trains are newer and make no stops.

 

There is no such thing as a wheelchair accessible train, in all cases you will require assistance. You can purchase the tickets separately; if you want to try and save a couple of Euro on the Rome to Civitavecchia ticket you can purchase that in advance and just get the FCO to Termini ticket on the spot. However, note that if your flight is late or something else prevents you from making the train you have prepurchased, you cannot change that ticket nor get a refund.