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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 for 24 hours – from 9pm on Saturday, November 23rd, to 9pm on Sunday, November 24th.
The walkout was called by union USB in mid-October to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.
This weekend’s protest is set 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 region, city and operator.
While rail companies are legally required to guarantee a minimum level of service (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.
This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee services for passengers.
Trenitalia
State operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” for the entire length of the strike, but may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”.
Trenitalia said it will operate a number of minimum long-distance services during the walkout. These are available here.
Travellers planning to travel with Trenitalia over the weekend are advised to check the status of their journey via the Infomobilità section of the operator’s website or mobile app, or by calling 800 89 20 21.
READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy this winter
Passengers who have booked Intercity or Frecce journeys for this weekend and wish to cancel their trips have until the scheduled departure time to request a refund.
Passengers who have purchased regional train tickets will have to submit their refund requests by midnight on Friday.
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Italo
Staff at private long-distance operator Italo are also expected to take part in the protest.
The company did not go into details on how the strike may impact its services, but delays and/or cancellations could not be ruled out.
Italo said it will guarantee a number of long-distance services, which you can find highlighted in green here.
For further information, you can contact Italo’s support centre at 892020.
Trenord
Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said the walkout may have “repercussions” on regional, suburban, airport and long-distance services.
The operator said it will not provide essential services during the strike.
With respect to services on Saturday evening, Trenord said that trains scheduled to depart before 9pm and arrive at their destination before 10pm will run as normal.
The company also said that replacement buses will be set up at Stabio and Milan Cadorna in the event that airport services to and from Malpensa Airport be cancelled.
See Trenord’s website or mobile app for all the latest updates.
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Trenitalia Tper
Services from Trenitalia Tper, which operates a number of trains in the Emilia Romagna region, may experience changes or cancellations due to the walkout according to a statement by Trenitalia.
The regional operator hasn’t yet provided any information regarding possible guaranteed services.
See their website for the latest updates.
How bad are rail strikes in Italy?
Rail strikes in Italy are frequent but not all of them cause major disruption for passengers.
The severity of disruption caused by any walkout in the country largely depends on how many workers decide to participate.
Generally speaking, nationwide protests backed by one or more major trade unions are the most likely to cause significant delays and/or cancellations as they represent more workers than smaller regional unions.
Even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, national operators Trenitalia and Italo usually guarantee essential services at peak travel times.
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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 or are entitled to a refund.
For further information on how to request a refund from Italy’s two major train companies, Trenitalia and Italo, see our article.
Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.