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STRIKES

Italy hit by rail strikes in protest over fatal train crash

Italy's rail staff were to strike for eight hours on Thursday, November 30th, in a protest over safety after a fatal train crash in Calabria this week.

Published: 30 November 2023 09:16 CET
Updated: 30 November 2023 11:42 CET
Roma Termini
A passenger is pictured at Roma Termini railway station during a general transport strike in November 2007. Photo by VINCENZO PINTO / AFP)

The protest, announced late on Wednesday, was expected to affect services operated by national operators Trenitalia and Italo between 9am and 5pm on Thursday.

FS Italiane and Trenord staff also planned to take part in a 24-hour strike from 9pm on Thursday to 9pm on Friday.

There would be “possible repercussions” for Frecce, Intercity and Regionale services throughout the strike, according to news reports.

Trenitalia warned that the strikes could impact services scheduled before and after these hours.

Trade unions said the protest was to demand greater safety standards on Italy’s railways following a collision between a regional passenger train and a truck at a level crossing in Cosenza, in the southern region of Calabria.

According to the latest national media reports, the train conductor, a 61-year-old Italian woman and the driver of the truck were both killed in the collision, while passengers aboard the train were unharmed.

National news outlet RaiNews reported that the truck became stuck on the tracks as it was going through the Corigliano Rossano level crossing and was then hit by the regional train as it travelled at a speed of 130 kilometres per hour.

Italy’s railway network operator RFI expressed “sorrow and grief for the victims” on Wednesday. 

An official investigation into the dynamics of the incident was being carried out by Italy’s railway police force and local Carabinieri officers, news agency ANSA reported.

Guaranteed services

As is generally the case with transport strikes in Italy, a number of essential services (servizi essenziali) will be guaranteed to operate during the walkout. 

Private high-speed train company Italo released a list of guaranteed services on Wednesday evening.

A list of Trenitalia services that are generally protected from planned strike action can be found on their website.

Trenord, which operates a number of short- to medium-distance routes in the Lombardy region, said that trains scheduled to depart between 6am and 9am and between 6pm and 9pm will operate as normal.

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TRANSPORT

Italy’s taxi drivers plan ‘biggest ever’ strike over planned industry reform

Taxi drivers were set to stage a nationwide walkout on Tuesday, May 21st, after talks stalled over a reform aimed at reducing long-standing cab shortages.

Published: 10 May 2024 10:53 CEST
Italy’s taxi drivers plan ‘biggest ever’ strike over planned industry reform

Taxi drivers’ unions announced the 14-hour strike in a statement on Wednesday after talks with Business Minister Adolfo Urso over a contested reform of the cab sector reached a dead end.

“In the absence of any updates, [this] may turn out to be one of the biggest protests ever staged by our sector,” the statement said.

Drivers and their families’ futures were “at stake”, it added.

Taxi unions said Urso had failed to give them the necessary assurances over a series of changes drafted by Deputy PM Matteo Salvini in early April, with drivers’ representatives expressing concern over the proposed issuance of new taxi licences and the creation of ride-hailing digital platforms.

The reform was reportedly intended as part of a wider government plan to boost public transport services around the country ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year, when Rome alone is expected to welcome some 35 million visitors. 

But Italian taxi drivers have long opposed attempts to both increase the number of available licences and open up the market to popular ride-hailing services like Uber, whose standard service (also known as Uber Pop) is currently not allowed to operate in Italy. 

READ ALSO: Italy’s taxis are often a nightmare, but will things ever change?

Last October, taxi drivers staged a 24-hour strike in protest against the government’s approval of a decree allowing local authorities to issue new taxi licences – a move intended to ease longstanding cab shortages in some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

Italy’s major cities have a far lower number of taxis – and taxi licences – available compared to metropolises like London and Paris, with visitors frequently reporting difficulties with finding a ride, as well as long waiting times.

According to a recent report from Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, Rome, which hasn’t increased the number of local taxi licences since 2005, has well over one million ‘unresolved calls’ – that is, people who try and fail to book a cab ride – a month during peak tourist season.

Milan, which hasn’t issued any new licences since 2003, has around half a million unresolved calls per month.

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