For half-duty commuters, those who alternate between the desk and working from home, the Smart Carnet season ends in October. Trenitalia has decided that from 1 November 2026 the package will no longer be on sale. There were ten trips on Frecciarossa and Frecciargento, to be used within thirty days and only from Monday to Friday, with a discount that the company indicated was over 60% and unlimited booking changes before departure. The carnet was nominative and reserved for CartaFreccia holders.
What happens in the event of a purchase
Carnets purchased by October 31st will be valid until they expire. Anyone who no longer intends to use them can request, within one month of the expiry of the title, a full refund of any remaining reservations not made or not used, as the company specifies on its website.
Trenitalia’s explanation
The company links the closure to the new model of monthly high-speed subscriptions, in force since November. The carnet, Trenitalia recalls, was created after the pandemic for all those who, with the spread of agile working, traveled less often and no longer used the season ticket. Now the formula changes: the fixed monthly fee drops by 80 euros, while seat reservations become paid, 2 euros per trip. The example chosen by the company is the Naples-Rome route, where the fee goes from 418 to 338 euros and those who make thirty trips a month save 20 euros. Reservations canceled before departure will be refunded. In short, for daily travellers, the calculation can add up: breaking even with the old rate reaches forty trips a month. Those who went to the office a few days a month, however, did not buy the season ticket at all, and could use the carnet.
The consequences for commuters
Trenitalia’s choice has generated discontent among commuters, who will find themselves paying more money. Marco Grimaldi, deputy group leader of the Green and Left Alliance in the Chamber, did the math. On the Turin-Milan route, he explains, the carnet cost 139 euros, already up from 99 in 2024, while the season ticket drops from 374 to 294 euros plus the 2 euro booking fee. For those who move five times a month the cost increase would be 175 euros, with ten trips it would be 56.
Grimaldi speaks of a “classist and environmentally wicked” choice, calls for the immediate restoration of the carnets and announces an urgent question to minister Matteo Salvini. Trenitalia, for its part, refers to the other carnets in the catalogue, those of 5, 10 and 15 trips on Frecce and Intercity valid for 180 days. The discount there reaches 30%.
