KEY POINTS: How will Italy's national rail strike affect travel on Friday?
Train passengers in Italy are expected to face disruption on Friday as staff at Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), which includes Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper, and private long-distance operator Italo plan to walk out from 1am to midnight.
The strike was called by three of Italy's major trade unions (SGB, USB and PDM/PDB) to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail sector following their expiration one and a half years ago.
The walkout had originally been planned for Saturday, May 17th, but was later postponed to this Friday in order to avoid disrupting rail services ahead of Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass on Sunday, May 18th.
Friday's strike is set to affect long-distance, regional and commuter routes, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by region, city and operator.
As of Tuesday morning, there were no details as to how many workers will participate in the protest, but Italian news reports warned train passengers to prepare for major delays and cancellations on several routes.
Under Italian transport laws, rail operators must provide a minimum level of service during strikes held on weekdays to allow commuters to travel to and from work.
Here's a look at how the upcoming protest is expected to affect Italy's main rail operators, including details on guaranteed services (servizi garantiti).
Italo
Private long-distance operator Italo hasn't yet provided any details as to how the strike may affect its services, but delays and/or cancellations couldn't be ruled out at the time of writing.
Even in the case of a highly disruptive walkout, the company said it will guarantee the operation of a number of services, which you can find highlighted in green here.
For further information about Italo services, passengers are advised to contact the operator's support centre at 892020 (toll number).
Trenitalia
National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services 'may experience cancellations or changes' over the entire duration of the strike.
Trenitalia said it will operate a number of essential long-distance services during the walkout. These are available here.
As for the regional train network, essential services will be operated over the following windows: from 6am to 9am and then from 6pm to 9pm.
You can see full details about guaranteed services in each Italian region on this web page (under treni garantiti: ricerca per regioni).
Passengers who have booked Intercity or Frecce journeys for Friday and wish to cancel their trips have until the scheduled departure time to request a refund.
Passengers who have purchased regional train tickets must submit their refund requests by midnight on Thursday, May 22nd.
People planning to travel with Trenitalia on Friday are strongly advised to check the status of their journey before setting off.
This can be done via the Infomobilità section of the operator's website or mobile app, or by calling their customer support centre at 800892021 (toll-free number).
Trenord
Trenord, which operates a number of services in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan's Malpensa Airport, said the strike could lead to 'changes and/or cancellations' affecting regional, suburban, airport and long-distance journeys.
The operator said it would run a number of essential services between 6am and 9am, and between 6pm and 9pm on Friday.
A full list of guaranteed services hasn't been released yet but should become available closer to the date of the strike at the following link.
Should airport link services be cancelled due to the strike, replacement buses will run between Milan Cadorna (Via Paleocapa 1) and Malpensa Airport, and between Stabio and Malpensa Airport, according to Trenord.
For all the latest updates, see Trenord's website or mobile app, or call their support centre at 0272494949.
Trenord's customer support centre is open from 6am to midnight every day.
Trenitalia Tper
Services provided by Trenitalia Tper, which operates a number of local and regional routes in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region, may also experience delays or cancellations due to the walkout.
The operator said it will guarantee a minimum level of service over the following two time slots on Friday: from 6am to 9am and from 6pm to 9pm.
You can find a full list of guaranteed train journeys here.
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 equivalent services or are entitled to a refund.
For further information on requesting a refund from Italy's two major rail operators, Trenitalia and Italo, see our separate article.
Will Friday's walkout affect local public transport?
According to the latest reports, the strike should only affect rail services.
Local public transport including bus, tram, metro and ferry services are expected to go ahead as normal on Friday.
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