When I wrote about Italy Train Travel yesterday, it occurred to me that I should probably make a distinction about the convalida (validation) yellow boxes: the yellow validation boxes for trains are located in different places than the ones for trams and buses.
In a train station, the yellow convalida boxes are typically located where the station pedestrian through-way meets the individual train platform (binario). At Milano Centrale (the Milan Central Train Station), I seem to remember that each platform had its own yellow box, but some other train stations have one box for every two platforms or occasionally even fewer. I also remember that a significant percentage of these boxes have a tendency to be out of order. My advice? Find an operational convalida box (and validate your ticket) well in advance of your train’s departure so you’re not rushing to find one while you run to your train. It’s also useful to note that, if you forget to validate your ticket prior to getting on the train (or didn’t leave yourself enough time to find a working box), you can be fined by the train conductor when he checks the tickets.
On Italian trams and buses (in the north of Italy, anyway), the yellow box is inside the car. On trams, you can typically find one box in front by the driver and at least one near the back door of the tram (again – expect one of the machines to be out of order and expect to have to maneuver through a moving tram to find and use the yellow box). On city buses, the yellow box placement is usually the same as on the trams.
Safe travels!
In a train station, the yellow convalida boxes are typically located where the station pedestrian through-way meets the individual train platform (binario). At Milano Centrale (the Milan Central Train Station), I seem to remember that each platform had its own yellow box, but some other train stations have one box for every two platforms or occasionally even fewer. I also remember that a significant percentage of these boxes have a tendency to be out of order. My advice? Find an operational convalida box (and validate your ticket) well in advance of your train’s departure so you’re not rushing to find one while you run to your train. It’s also useful to note that, if you forget to validate your ticket prior to getting on the train (or didn’t leave yourself enough time to find a working box), you can be fined by the train conductor when he checks the tickets.
On Italian trams and buses (in the north of Italy, anyway), the yellow box is inside the car. On trams, you can typically find one box in front by the driver and at least one near the back door of the tram (again – expect one of the machines to be out of order and expect to have to maneuver through a moving tram to find and use the yellow box). On city buses, the yellow box placement is usually the same as on the trams.
Safe travels!
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