Snow and cold have hit Italy, but no weather apocalypse. Yet, the Italian rail transport system has gone haywire. On Monday the chaos is concentrated around the Rome hub, and then spread to the rest of the country. And it also involved high-speed trains.
Among the many disruptions, the case of the Reggio Calabria-Turin train is emblematic, reaching its destination in the record time of almost 30 hours. Some people left Milan on a Freccia Rossa at 10 to arrive in Naples at 20 pm: nine hours instead of four and a half, exactly double.
According to Trenitalia, the average delay of the trains was two and a half hours. The public company as well as the private Italo have announced that they will partially compensate passengers stranded on trains and fully those who have given up on leaving.
The Ministry of Transport leaked yesterday the strong irritation of Minister Graziano Delrio, described as "very angry" after the day of passion. The minister did not hide that everything that happened could have been avoided since the weather alert had been expected for days and the transport companies should have implemented the "correct maintenance actions". Delrio went so far as to ask the Italian railway network for "a detailed report in order to be able to assess any responsibilities".
As for today, Tuesday 27 February, “due to the persistence of the weather emergency – writes Rfi – all high-speed trains arriving and departing from Rome will stop at Roma Tiburtina station. In line with the emergency level envisaged by the snow and frost plans, 80% of high-speed trains and 50% of regional transport trains in Lazio will be guaranteed".
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana invites travelers "to get information before setting off and to consult the railway traffic situation on the rfi.it website".
