Saturday 29 June 2013

GETTING AROUND ROME 2

The best way to explore this city is on foot as you’ll run into something fascinating around just about every corner but sometimes you might want to get from point A to B without expending the shoe leather? Rome’s public transit system of buses, trams, regional trains and metro is how you do that. I’m covering more specifics on metro/regional trains as we didn’t take the buses (except from the airport) but you can find some useful info for those here:

http://www.rometoolkit.com/transport/rome_bus.htm

The metro is easy because they currently only have 2 lines - Red A and Blue B - with a third line C under construction. Take a look at this diagram:

http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=4

The two lines form a rough X with the intersection point at Termini, and skirt a large section of the Central Storico (that blank space in the middle). Line C will help that situation when completed but digging has been problematic due to two millennia worth of history lurking below so construction is running behind schedule. But the other two lines will get you closer, if not directly to, some of the hot tourist sites.

Tickets can be purchased by machine (which take euros) at stations, or from humans at newsstands, tabacchi and some bars. Look for signs with the big T, like the one shown in photo 2, or which advertise Biglietti ATAC. Tickets come in several forms:

• BIT singles: these are good for 100 minutes and allow you to transfer as many times as needed between buses and trams plus one single metro ride with an in-station (can’t exit turnstiles and go back in) transfer between A and B allowed at Termini if needed, and one single, one-way, 2nd class journey on trains within the ATAC system. If not using a pass, it’s nice to have a few of these tucked in a pocket in case you poop out somewhere. Once you validate, do pay attention to the expiration time stamped on your ticket so you’re off transport before the clock runs out.

• BIG one-day ticket: covers unlimited travel on any ATAC transport until midnight of the day validated

• BTI three-day pass: same as a BIG only valid until midnight of the 3rd day after validation date

• CSI weekly pass: Same as BIG and BTI but good until midnight of the 7th day after validation date.

Each type of ticket/pass MUST be validated just before its first use, and you MUST have it with you until your journey is complete or for the life of the pass. This is your proof that you paid for your bus, tram, metro or train rides if checked by an official. Fines are high if caught with an expired ticket or no ticket at all, and they do not allow for excuses - even from clueless tourists.

Validation methods are different per form of transport:

• Bus/tram/Rome-Pantano and Rome-Viterbo train lines: time-stamp machines are near doors on the transport vehicles

• Metro, the Rome-Lido regional train line and Trenitalia SpA regional trains: tickets are fed into machines leading to your platform

• Other ATAC-system trains: tickets should be time-stamped in the yellow, orange or green-and- white machines near the tracks

See the arrow at the end of the BIT ticket shown in photo 1? Stick that end, arrow side up, into the stamping machines for buses, trams and trains. For metro and noted trains, stick that end, arrow side up, into the slot on a metro entrance machine and retrieve your ticket when it spits out the other end and the gates open to let you enter.

With the exception of transferring from bus to metro for your one allowed ride, you’ll only validate a pass or ticket once - which starts the clock ticking.

Machine didn’t work? Grab a pen and write the date (day/month/year), time boarded, and station or number of the vehicle on your ticket or, on a train, date and immediately find a guard to explain what happened.

For which trains you’re allowed to take, look again at the same diagram for the metro; you’ll see colored lines for regional trains FRI - FR8, and grey lines for 3 urban trains. Look for the stations noted along each of those lines and find those indicated in RED. Those are the last stations accessible by BIT, BIG, BTI or CSI without buying a more expensive Trenitalia ticket, and do note that this includes the airports: you’ll need to fork over a higher fee to get to those or use a different form of transport.

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