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Train derailment sparks transport chaos in Italy

Passengers across Italy were left stranded on Thursday after a train derailment caused the cancellation of dozens of trains, including high-speed services between the north and south of the country.

Published: 20 April 2023 17:20 CEST

Train derailment sparks transport chaos in Italy

Archive photo: An "Italo" train from the private Italian company NTV (R) sits in Venice Santa Lucia station near a regional Trenitalia train on May 30, 2013. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)

Nobody was hurt when the carriage of the freight train came off the rails at around 2:20 am (00:20 GMT) between Florence and Bologna, for reasons that are still being investigated.

But it knocked down poles supporting electric cables used by the trains, suspending services across the network.

"Deraglia #treno merci a #Firenze: ritardi e cancellazioni sulla dorsale nord-sud. Aperta un'inchiesta" @RaiNews https://t.co/djFZZ9rYxr

— Andrea Vincenti (@Andrea_V_73) April 20, 2023

Italian rail firm Trenitalia announced at least 50 cancellations and delays of up to three hours, while other routes were diverted

“The aim is to restore services by early afternoon,” the transport and infrastructure ministry said in a statement.

Around 160 passengers were stuck on a regional train for several hours until coaches arrived to take them to the station in Florence.

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How is Italy's national public transport strike affecting travel on Friday?

The walkout was set to affect all types of local public transport, from surface services (buses, trams, commuter trains and ferries) to underground metro lines, but wasn’t expected to impact long-distance rail services and taxis.

As it’s often the case with public transport strikes in Italy, the level of disruption faced by passengers was expected to vary from city to city depending on the number of transport workers participating in the protest.

According to Italian media reports, commuters in major cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice, were all likely to experience at least some level of disruption on Friday, though the strike may also have an impact in smaller cities and towns.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in autumn 2024

The protest was called in late June by some of Italy’s largest transport unions to protest against employers’ “unwillingness to open a dialogue on the issues raised by workers” including “a monthly salary increase of 300 euros [and] a reduction of working hours from 39 to 35 per week”.

Guaranteed services

Under national strike laws, public transport companies are required to guarantee the operation of a number of essential services (servizi minimi) during walkouts.

The exact times vary by operator, but usually coincide with peak travel hours.

Milan’s public transport operator ATM said that the strike may affect its trams, buses and metro lines from 8.45am to 3pm, and then from 6pm until end of service.

Services scheduled outside of the above windows were expected to operate as normal.

Rome’s major public transport operator ATAC said in a statement that services scheduled before 8.30am and from 5pm to 8pm would go ahead as normal.

Venice’s public transport operator ACTV published a list of all the water network services that were guaranteed to go ahead on Friday. The list is available here (in Italian).

Florence’s bus operator Autolinee Toscane said it will guarantee services scheduled from 4.15am to 8.14am, and then from 12.30pm to 14.29pm.

Gest, which operates a number of tram lines in Florence, said that services will be guaranteed in the following time slots: from 6.30am to 9.30 am, and from 5pm to 8pm.

In Naples, public transport operator EAV published a list of guaranteed services for each of their lines. See their website for further information.

Tper, which operates buses in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region, said it will guarantee the operation of services scheduled before 8.30am and from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Services in the provinces of Ravenna, Forli’-Cesena and Rimini were set to go ahead as normal after the areas were hit by severe flooding on Wednesday, unions said.

Palermo’s public transport operator Amat warned that its bus and tram lines may be affected by “potential cancellations and disruption” from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and from 8.30pm to midnight.

For details on guaranteed services in other cities around the country, passengers were advised to check the relevant transport company’s website or social media accounts.

Anyone planning to travel by public transport in Italy on Friday was advised to leave extra time for their journey and check the status of local services with the relevant operator before setting off.

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

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