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STRIKES

How are strikes affecting travel in Italy on Thursday?

Commuters in Italy face delays or cancellations on Thursday, April 11th, as rail and public transport services are set to be affected by a nationwide strike.

How are strikes affecting travel in Italy on Thursday?
Local transport services are set to be affected by a strike on Thursday, April 11th. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP.

A strike organised by two of Italy’s largest workers’ unions is set to cause travel disruption on Thursday, as staff of national and local public transport services have announced a four-hour walkout.

CGIL and UIL are calling for better worker safety conditions with the aim of achieving “zero deaths at work”, as well as an income tax reform that places a lower burden on workers and pensioners and a “new social model”.

The strike is planned to take place in different four-hour windows in different cities across Italy, and is also expected to affect national rail services.

In addition to public transport staff, postal and utilities workers are also set to strike, while those in the construction industry – where workplace fatalities are highest – plan to strike for the full eight-hour workday.

Here’s what to expect from Thursday’s strike.

Trains

Staff of Italy’s state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (which includes Trenitalia and Trenord) and private long-distance operator Italo plan to strike from 9am to 1pm.

Staff of the Società Autobus Alto Adige, or SAD, which includes a mix of buses and train services connecting towns and cities in Italy’s northern Alto Adige region, are set to strike from 1pm to 5pm, while workers for Trentino Transporti have announced a walkout from 1pm to 4pm.

In addition to Thursday’s strike, regional train services in Campania and neighbouring regions are subject to cancellations or delays from 9am-5pm on Friday, April 12th due to a planned walkout by staff of Trenitalia’s Campania Regional Business Directorate.

Trenitalia has published an update on its website saying that the strike “may lead to service variations both before its start and after its end”, and adds that customers may seek a refund in line with their individual railway carrier’s general conditions.

Passengers are advised to check the status of their services via their mobile app or website during the day, or to contact the company toll free on 800 89 20 21.

You can find a list of minimum Trenitalia services guaranteed to go ahead even in the event of a strike on their website here.

A list of Italo trains guaranteed to go ahead on Thursday can be found here.

Some train services in Italy are set to be suspended as a result of Thursday’s strike. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP.

Local public transport

Rome

Staff of Rome’s public transport operator ATAC have announced a walkout at the end of their shift from 8pm to 12am. Metro, bus and tram services are all set to be affected.

Separately from the strike, Rome’s Metro A line will close at 9.30pm as part of planned works in preparation for the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

In addition, staff of the Lazio region’s public transport company Cotral plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

Milan

Staff of Milan’s public transport company ATM had planned to strike from 8pm to 12am – however according to a recent update on ATM’s website, the mayor has ordered services to go ahead for public order and safety reasons linked to a G7 ministerial transport meeting and a Milan-Roma football match.

Metro, tram and bus services are therefore set to continue as normal on Thursday.

The Como-Brunate funicular line could experience disruption between 7.30pm and 10.30pm.

Naples

Naples transport provider ANM has announced that staff intend to strike from 9am-1pm.

Last departures on buses and trams will be 30 minutes before the start of the strike, with services resuming 30 minutes after its end, according to the company.

Florence

In Florence, passengers using operator Autolinee Toscane’s services face disruption from 6pm until 10pm.

Other cities

Public transport is set to be affected in other cities across Italy.

According to the latest updates, staff of AMT in Genoa plan to strike from 1pm until 5pm, and those working for GTT in Turin intend to walk out from 6pm until 10pm.

Staff of Tper in Bologna and other cities in the Emilia Romagna region (including Ferrara) have reportedly extended their strike to the full eight hours, from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

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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.

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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