A long-planned strike set to affect Italy’s biggest rail network operators was to end at 3pm on Thursday after being shortened from 23 hours to 12 by a government order.

Italy’s trade union leaders had previously confirmed the strike action after last-minute negotiations with the transport ministry on Wednesday failed to result in an agreement.

But the ministry later on Wednesday evening.signed an ordinance forcing unions to limit the protests.

READ ALSO: Italy’s nationwide train strike to end early after government order 

Staff at Italy’s national rail company Trenitalia, private operator Italo, and northern rail service Trenord had initially planned strike action from 3am on Thursday until 2am on Friday.

With all of Italy’s main trade unions representing transport workers taking part, this strike was widely expected to be more disruptive than most, which are generally only backed by one or two major unions.

Passengers up and down the country may face delays or cancellations earlier in the day, while commuters can expect particularly busy trains at peak times.

A minimum level of services are guaranteed to run at peak times in Italy, even when there’s a strike on, though these may be especially crowded due to the knock-on effects of other cancellations.

CALENDAR: The Italian transport strikes to expect in summer 2023

Guaranteed services include regional train services scheduled between 6-9am and 6-9pm on weekdays. Trenitalia has published a list of services protected from Thursday’s strike action.

Trenord has published a similar list of guaranteed services running in and around Milan and the Lombardy region.

Outside of those hours, at least some level of disruption is to be expected to services in many parts of the country on Thursday, though the companies affected had not confirmed any cancellations at the time of writing.

Frecce, Intercity and regional train services run by Trenitalia are likely to be disrupted. The company stated on Wednesday that “trains may be subject to changes or cancellations. The strike may lead to changes before the start and after its conclusion.”

Trenord warned that its “regional, suburban, airport and long-distance services may be subject to changes and cancellations,” and advised that services including the Malpensa Express airport train to and from Milan may be replaced by a bus service.

All passengers planning to travel by train in Italy on Thursday are advised to check the status of their service via the operator’s website or app before setting off.

Italy’s transport sector is due to be hit by a double-whammy of strikes this week with Thursday’s rail strike to be followed by an air transport strike on Saturday, July 15th.

At the time of writing the air transport strike is still expected to go ahead.

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services instead or will be entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia will need to request a refund either at the station or by using this web form. For Italo, refunds are usually issued automatically.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.