The Italian state railway, Ferrovie dello Stato (tel: 892 021, in Italy only; website: www.trenitalia.it), is both economical and efficient. Bologna's train station, Bologna Centrale, is located at Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, in the north of the city. Facilities in the station include car hire, banks, bars, restaurants, newspaper stands and a pharmacy. Passengers must validate their tickets by stamping them in the yellow machines, located on the platform, before boarding, to avoid having to pay a fine. Supplements might be charged, depending on the type of train taken (Diretto, Interregionale, Espresso, Intercity or Eurostar).

Rail services: Bologna Centrale is one of Italy's main crossroads for both national and international trains. Work is ongoing to quadruple the number of platforms and to build a second station, thus increasing the level of service and decreasing travel times on the main lines. At present, the fastest service linking Bologna with Milan (journey time - 2 hours), Florence (journey time - 1 hour), Rome (journey time - 3 hours) and Naples (journey time - 5 hours) is the high-speed Eurostar. EuroCity and Euronight train services link Bologna with more than 40 other European destinations including Paris, Basel and Brussels.