Venice is on track to finally get a direct rail connection to Marco Polo Airport, filling a gap that has long frustrated travellers and planners alike. The project, led by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, involves constructing about 8 kilometres of new track to link the historic Venice–Trieste line with a new underground station at the airport. This intermodal connection is designed to integrate air travel with Italy’s national rail network, and it is scheduled to be completed — and open to passengers — by late 2026, with operations expected in 2027.
This new Venice Airport Rail Link means that Marco Polo will join other major Italian airports such as Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Pisa, Turin and Palermo in having a dedicated airport rail connection.
As a result, Venice will finally sit within Italy’s established pattern of rail-integrated airports, where passengers can move seamlessly between long-distance trains, regional services and air travel without relying on road transfers. Moreover, this strengthens Italy’s wider strategy of using rail as the default access mode to major gateways, particularly in historic cities where road capacity is limited and environmental pressures are high.
The intention behind this rail link goes beyond simply offering another way to reach Venice’s airport. Rather, it is meant to expand the catchment area for both the rail system and the airport, encouraging greater intermodality between flying and rail travel. By allowing both long-distance and regional trains to serve the airport directly, the project aims to make it easier for passengers to travel beyond Venice without relying on coaches or road transport — for example, linking travellers to destinations such as Trieste, Verona, Bologna, and Milan without needing a car for first or last miles. This also supports broader sustainability goals by encouraging rail as a complement to air travel, and by potentially reducing road traffic around Venice’s fragile urban core.
🚄 Who the rail link benefits — and who it doesn’t
It’s worth being clear about what this rail connection is and what it isn’t. It is not designed primarily as a replacement for the existing Alilaguna waterbuses, airport express buses, or taxis that connect the airport to the historic core of Venice. Those services are still faster and more convenient for passengers whose destination is central Venice. Instead, the rail link is largely aimed at regional travellers and airport passengers whose journeys extend beyond the city, offering a seamless train connection that blends air and rail without the need for road traffic. In other words, it helps locals and long-distance visitors alike, whether commuting from inland Veneto, connecting to high-speed services north to Milan or south to Rome, or linking with coastal and cross-country routes — all while promoting a shift toward rail as the backbone of multi-modal travel.