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STRIKES

The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

People travelling to, from or across Italy may face disruption next month as unions have called multiple walkouts affecting trains and public transport services.

Published: 19 April 2024 14:48 CEST
Passengers leave Venice's Santa Lucia train station
Passengers leave Venice's Santa Lucia train station in May 2019. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Transport strikes are common during Italy’s spring months, and May will be no exception this year as unions representing rail and public transport staff have announced multiple walkouts which may affect the travel plans of both locals and international visitors.

Here’s a look at the protests that are expected to cause the greater amount of disruption.

May 1st – Nationwide general strike 

Rail and public transport passengers around the country may face delays and/or cancellations on Wednesday, May 1st (which marks Italy’s Festa del Lavoro, or Labour Day) due to a 24-hour general strike backed by Italy’s main trade unions.

The walkout will involve staff from both public and private transport operators at a local, regional and national level.

Besides the rail and public transport sectors, ferry services to and from Italy’s major islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and motorway services may also be affected.

The protest shouldn’t affect air transport, according to the latest reports.

May 3rd – Nationwide rail maintenance staff strike

Train passengers around the country may experience disruption on Friday, May 3rd as track maintenance staff at Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, plan to strike for 24 hours. 

The protest may impact both regional trains and long-distance services operated by Trenitalia and Italo.

May 4th-5th – National rail staff strike

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

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

The planned walkout 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.

Further information on the protest is available in this article.

May 6th – Nationwide public transport strike 

Public transport passengers may face delays and/or cancellations on Monday, May 6th as staff at bus, tram and subway operators around the country plan to strike for 24 hours. 

The timing and impact of the strike, which is backed by USB – one of Italy’s main transport unions – will vary from city to city, with further information on guaranteed services expected to become available closer to the date of the walkout.

May 12th – Air traffic controllers’ strike at Malpensa airport

Passengers flying to or from Milan’s Malpensa airport may face delays and/or cancellations on  Sunday, May 12th as staff from air traffic control agency Enav plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

Detailed information on guaranteed flights is expected to be released on Enav’s website closer to the date of the walkout.

May 19th-May 20th – Nationwide Trenitalia strike

Staff at Trenitalia, Italy’s primary train operator, will strike from 3am on Sunday, May 19th to 2am on Monday, May 20th for a total of 23 hours. 

The protest is expected to affect long-distance services as well as regional and local routes.

Local strikes

A number of smaller regional and local walkouts have also been announced for the coming weeks. A full list can be found on the Italian Transport Ministry’s website. 

How bad are strikes in Italy?

Strikes in Italy are frequent but not all of them cause significant disruption for travellers.

The severity of disruption caused by any strike in the country largely depends on how many staff in any part of the transport sector decide to participate.

And, even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, some essential services (or servizi minimi) are guaranteed to run at peak times. This goes for all transport sectors, from local public transport to rail and air travel.

Keep up with all the latest updates in our strike news section.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

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