TRAVEL BETWEEN SIERRE AND MILAN (12th July)

Fegiejoick55

SBB website is not allowing me to purchase a ticket between Sierre and Milan on 12th July due to replacement bus service. How do I purchase my ticket?

Danhiel

Hello Fegiejoick55

You can buy the ticket on trenitalia.com. But, if you have a discount in Switzerland, e.g. a Half Fare Card, you have to buy two separate tickets: Sierre - Iselle Di Trasquera (SBB) and Iselle Di Trasquera - Milano (SBB or Trenitalia), because Trenitalia doesn’t offer this discount for Swiss tickets.

Kind regards
Danhiel

Fegiejoick55

Hi Krist

Danhiel thank you… I eventually worked it out. But basically whatever ticket you buy from Sierre to Milan should be valid on the bus replacement service, simple as that.
The SBB ticket purchase website is honestly the worst I’ve ever had to deal with. They make it much more complicated than it needs to be.

Krist

You can actually buy tickets with HFC reduction on Trenitalia. Just check “other offers”, where you can then select the SBB Halbtax.

But SBB really, really, really should get its act together and finally either:

Finally fix the booking system so that it can deal with the interruptions on the Simplon.
Or just display a message referring people to Trenitalia.

Not the confusing message you get now.

Danhiel

Krist You can actually buy tickets with HFC reduction on Trenitalia. Just check “other offers”, where you can then select the SBB Halbtax.

You are right for direct EC between Switzerland and Italy (HTX SWITZERLAND), but I don’t find this option for internal tickets in Switzerland (e.g. Sierre - Iselle):

Danhiel

Krist But SBB really, really, really should get its act together and finally either:
Finally fix the booking system so that it can deal with the interruptions on the Simplon.
Or just display a message referring people to Trenitalia.

I have filed a complaint with the SBB to report this error.

Fegiejoick55

Hi Danhiel thank you.

Danhiel

I receive an answer from SBB. They confirm that it is not possible to buy a through ticket and that it is necessary to buy two separate tickets (Sierre - Iselle and Iselle - Milano). In other words, they don’t want to correct this error.

Krist

So SBB does not want people to travel by train on that route is the conclusion.

Look at Flixbus in stead then.