Casella Railway Access Shifts to Buses September 28

Azienda Mobilita e Trasporti, the Genoa transport operator known as AMT, switched the Ferrovia Genova-Casella to its winter timetable on Monday, September 28, 2026, and said the line is now covered entirely by replacement buses. In a notice dated September 25, AMT stated that the summer period has ended, that major infrastructure work is under way on the full route, and that weekday buses start from this Monday while Saturday and holiday buses start Saturday, October 3.

If you planned a mountain day trip on the historic narrow-gauge train, treat this as a bus trip from Largo Giardino in Genoa, with a shorter weekend list and four holiday cancellations already printed. Pair the ride with a city food stop using our Genoa pesto and focaccia route so the new clock still leaves time for lunch before the last bus back.

Winter Timetable Starts September 28

The operator published nine weekday departures in each direction. From Genoa the listed times are 7:31, 9:03, 10:30, 12:06, 13:22, 14:30, 16:48, 18:00, and 19:33. From Casella they are 6:18, 7:21, 8:53, 10:38, 13:18, 14:53, 16:38, 18:09, and 19:18. Those clocks apply Monday through Friday from September 28.

Saturday and holiday service is a separate table that does not start until October 3. From Genoa those times are 9:00, 10:18, 11:58, 13:08, 14:43, 16:15, 17:40, and 19:10. From Casella they are 7:35, 10:32, 13:16, 14:52, 16:20, 17:52, and 19:00. Four of the Genoa runs and three of the Casella runs carry an asterisk for Christmas and Epiphany, which is the only cancellation list AMT printed with this notice.

Count the day before you leave the hotel. A Friday trip still uses the nine-bus weekday grid. A Saturday trip on September 28 or October 1 is not yet on the winter weekend grid in this notice, so confirm that day’s board with AMT rather than assuming either table applies. From October 3, a Saturday or Italian public holiday uses the shorter list.

Replacement Buses Leave From Largo Giardino

AMT is explicit that Genoa departures are from Largo Giardino. That is a bus stand, not the historic Piazza Manin rail station many older guides still name as the city end of the train. Build walking time from Brignole, Principe, or the old town into the 7:31 first weekday bus if you are coming off a cruise transfer or an early train.

Casella remains the mountain end of the published timetable. The notice does not break out intermediate request stops for the winter buses, so do not assume every former rail halt is served. If you need a village between Genoa and Casella, ask AMT or the driver before you board rather than treating a 2025 rail map as a 2026 bus map.

Tickets and passes follow AMT rules for the replacement service, which the September 25 notice does not restate. Buy on the AMT app or at a ticket point in Genoa before you reach Largo Giardino if you want to avoid a cash scramble at the stand. Keep the receipt until you alight in Casella, because inspectors on replacement buses treat this as ordinary suburban service, not a heritage excursion with a special souvenir ticket.

Summer Weekend Trains Give Way to Full Bus Cover

The winter switch is a mode change, not only a clock change. AMT says that with the summer period over, the service is again provided entirely by replacement buses because major infrastructure work affects the whole alignment. Travelers who rode a train on a Saturday in July or August should not expect that mixed pattern this autumn.

GenovaToday reported on June 25, 2026 that weekend trains had resumed from Saturday, June 27, in mixed mode: trains on the Casella to Vicomorasso section, buses for the rest of the trip, and some all-bus runs at the edges of the day. Weekdays were already all-bus. The September notice keeps no weekend train segment. Every listed winter trip is a bus.

That June report also placed the Genoa bus origin at Largo Giardino, matching the winter notice. Anyone still holding a Piazza Manin pin should move it. GenovaToday described finished switch and sleeper work that had been required for the line’s operating certificate. The new AMT text does not reopen a debate about those jobs. It states that important works now cover the entire route.

Christmas and Epiphany Runs AMT Is Cutting

AMT marked seven weekend trips with an asterisk and said those runs are cancelled on December 25 and 26, 2026, and on January 1 and 6, 2027. From Genoa the starred times are 10:18, 13:08, 14:43, and 17:40. From Casella they are 13:16, 16:20, and 19:00. Unstarred weekend trips, including 9:00 and 19:10 from Genoa, are not listed as cancelled on those four dates.

Do not read the asterisk as a full Christmas shutdown. It thins the weekend grid on four named days. January 6 is Epiphany, a public holiday in Italy, so use the weekend table if that date remains a holiday on the AMT calendar. Recheck the same AMT news page if you travel more than a week after you first save the times, because later holiday cuts can appear after a September filing.

Planning a Casella Day Trip This Fall

Use the weekday nine-bus grid if you can travel Tuesday through Friday. That pattern has the most recovery options if a highway delay eats the 12:06 or 13:22 from Genoa. The last weekday return from Casella is 19:18. Miss it and the notice does not offer a later rail rescue. Budget a taxi or an overnight rather than hoping a hidden last train exists.

On a Saturday from October 3, the first Genoa bus is 9:00 and the last return from Casella is 19:00, with that 19:00 starred for the four holiday dates. A six to seven hour Casella window is realistic if you ride the 9:00 out and a mid-afternoon bus back. That is enough for a village lunch and a short walk, not a hiking day that depends on a 17:00 trailhead start.