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STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s transport strike on Friday

Passengers in cities around Italy may face cancellations or delays on Friday, April 26th, as local public transport services are set to be affected by a nationwide strike.

Published: 24 April 2024 13:13 CEST
Updated: 26 April 2024 08:54 CEST
Rome, empty bus station
A deserted bus station during a national transport strike in Rome. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

A strike is set to cause travel disruption in Italy on Friday, as staff of local public transport services across the country have announced a four-hour walkout.

The walkout is timed to coincide with Italy’s Liberation Day long weekend, starting on Thursday, when many Italians will be travelling to see friends and family.

The Confail Faisa transport workers’ union is calling for fair pay, improved health and safety conditions, better hours, and improved work-life balance, among other things.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

The strike is planned to take place in different four-hour windows in different cities across Italy. Here’s what to expect:

Rome

Staff of Rome’s public transport operator ATAC have announced a walkout from 8.30am to 12.30pm. Metro, bus and tram services are all set to be affected.

Journeys scheduled to start before 8.29am are guaranteed to go ahead as planned.

ATAC writes that the last two strikes organised by Confail Faisa had a 20 to 40 percent participation rate among drivers of buses and trams, and a five to 16 percent rate among subway drivers.

Milan

Staff of Milan’s public transport company ATM plan to strike from 8.45am to 12.45pm.

Naples

Naples transport provider ANM has announced that staff intend to strike from 11am to 3pm.

Last departures on trams and buses are around 30 min before the start and services are around 30 min after its end, according to the company.

The last guaranteed departure on the funicular will be at 10.50am and service should resume at 3.20pm. 

On Metro Line 1, the last guaranteed service from Piscinola is scheduled for 10.20 am and from Garibaldi at 10.20am, while the first afternoon run will be from Piscinola at 3.50pm and from Garibaldi at 4.30pm.

Bologna and Ferrara

Staff of Emilia Romagna’s public transport operator Tper are set to strike from 11.30am to 3.30pm.

The Marconi Express monorail connecting Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi Airport with the city’s central rail station will also be affected.

Follow the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s national rail strike this weekend

Rail passengers in Italy may face disruption on Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th as staff at railway operators including Trenitalia and Italo plan a 24-hour strike.

Published: 2 May 2024 10:59 CEST
Updated: 3 May 2024 11:06 CEST
What to expect from Italy's national rail strike this weekend

Passengers travelling across Italy by train may face delays or cancellations this weekend as staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, which includes Trenitalia, Trenord, and Trenitalia Tper, and private company Italo plan to strike from 9pm on Saturday, May 4th to 9pm on Sunday, May 5th.

The walkout was called by CAT (Coordinamento Autorganizzato Trasporti) – one of Italy’s major trade unions – in late March to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

The planned protest is expected to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by city and operator.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee services for passengers.

Trenitalia 

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” for the entire length of the strike, but the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”. 

Though the statement provided no information regarding possible guaranteed services, Trenitalia generally operates a number of essential long-distance journeys during weekend walkouts. These are available here.

Trenitalia has advised passengers planning to travel with them during the weekend to check the status of their services via their website or mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Italo

Though initial news reports said that the walkout would not affect the services of private long-distance operator Italo, staff at the company are also expected to take part in the protest according to reports on Friday morning.

It was unclear at the time of writing exactly how the strike would impact Italo services, but delays and/or cancellations could not be ruled out.

Italo has said it will guarantee the operation of a number of long-distance services during the walkout. You can find those here.

Trenitalia Tper

Trenitalia Tper, which operates train services in the Emilia-Romagna region, has said that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” due to the walkout. 

In the event of cancellations, passengers will be able to “ask for a refund according to the operator’s terms and conditions”.

Trenitalia Tper hasn’t yet provided any details regarding possible guaranteed services.

See their website for the latest updates.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, has said that scheduled services “may be subject to cancellations”.

However, the operator has also said that none of its staff are represented by trade union CAT and previous walkouts backed by the union didn’t affect scheduled services.

Trenord will not operate minimum services during the strike. However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes. 

See Trenord’s website or app for the latest updates.

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. 

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

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