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Thousands of tickets cancelled as Italy keeps social distancing on trains

More than 8,000 passengers had rail journeys cancelled over the weekend after the Italian government announced that trains could only travel half full.

Published: 3 August 2020 10:52 CEST
Thousands of tickets cancelled as Italy keeps social distancing on trains
A passenger waiting in Milan. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

While the Ministry of Transport indicated it would relax the rules requiring trains to keep 50 percent of all seats empty, the Health Ministry insisted that social distancing of at least a metre was mandatory – catching rail operators by surprise at the start of Italy's peak holiday season.

“It's only right that the safety rules applied so far remain in place on trains,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced on Saturday afternoon, August 1st.

“For this reason I signed an ordinance reiterating that in all enclosed public spaces, including public transport, both social distancing and wearing face masks is and remains obligatory.”

READ ALSO: What you should know if you're visiting Italy this summer

The announcement set train companies scrambling to comply, with high-speed train company Italo saying it had cancelled eight trains on Sunday morning and told other ticket holders they wouldn't be able to travel that afternoon.

In total some 8,000 passengers had their journeys disrupted, the company said, adding that customers would receive a full refund for unused tickets.

State-owned rail company Trenitalia said it was contacting passengers individually to invite them to change their reservation or accept a refund.

Both companies said they expected to be able to mitigate the disruption in the coming days, a period when millions of people in Italy would typically set off on their August holidays. While many are unable to travel this summer, others have swapped trips overseas for vacations within Italy, keeping trains, roads and ferries busy.

Tickets for high-speed Frecciarossa trains from Milan to southern Italy are already almost sold out for the coming weekend, reports said on Monday.


Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

The confusion over whether companies could sell more than 50 percent of tickets arose after an emergency decree mandating social distancing and other precautions expired on July 31st, without an official replacement. The government is expected to extend safety rules in a new decree this week. 

Earlier guidelines from the Ministry of Transport, issued in July, said passengers that would be allowed to sit near each other if they declared that they lived in the same household.

“The government never authorised 100 percent capacity,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, calling the decision to maintain social distancing for all passengers “prudent”. It said it had reviewed its guidelines with health experts and instead opted to avoid “needless risks”.

Yet some regions of Italy, notably Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Friuli Venezia Giulia in the north, have threatened to issue their own ordinances allowing regional trains to run fully occupied.

READ ALSO: What rules will you need to follow if you're visiting Italy this summer?

Anyone taking a train in Italy this summer can expect to find themselves seated 'a scacchiera' (chessboard-style), i.e. with empty seats to their side and in front.

You'll also have to follow a designated one-way route through the carriage, leading to separate entrances and exits, and must wear a face mark throughout your journey.

People taking long-distance services will also have their temperature checked before boarding and may have to sign a form declaring themselves healthy.


Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

While social distancing remains compulsory on trains and other public transport in Italy, people taking an aeroplane will find themselves sitting elbow to elbow with other passengers.

In line with EU-wide guidance, airlines are allowed to fill planes to 100 percent capacity on the grounds that their air filters continually draw in and circulate outside air.

READ ALSO: Face masks, forms and fewer bags: Italy's rules on flying

Passengers must wear face masks – replacing them with fresh ones every four hours – and place jackets and other small items in sterilised containers.

They are once more allowed to bring hand luggage aboard, after the Italian government scrapped a temporary ban on the use of overhead lockers.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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