Rail journeys in Italy throughout August will be hampered by severe delays, cancellations and longer travel times due to infrastructure upgrades and maintenance works, according to the country’s rail infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).
RFI warned travellers to expect timetable changes, widespread cancellations and delays of more than two hours on several regional and high-speed services operated by Trenitalia and Italo.
The routes most affected are the Turin-Milan-Venice line, the high-speed Milan-Bologna line and the high-speed Rome-Florence direct line.
Trenitalia said travel times are expected to increase by up to two hours on the Milan-Bologna route from 12 to 18 August. High-speed Frecciarossa trains on the Turin-Milan-Rome-Naples-Salerno route will likely be the most affected, with extended travel times and cancellations.
From 19 to 23 August, interruptions on the Florence-Rome line and slowdowns on the Milan-Bologna high-speed line will increase travel times by up to 80 minutes.
Additional safety works on the Milan-Domodossola and Domodossola-Iselle lines, which pass into Switzerland, will also impact cross-border connections throughout August and into September. Buses will replace some trains between Milan and Domodossola and between Milan, Lausanne and Geneva, with works on the Domodossola-Iselle line scheduled from 9 to 30 August, and on the Milan-Domodossola line until 8 September.
On the high-speed Milan-Venice line, all trains between Verona and Vicenza will be cancelled from 31 July to 20 August, with some local connections replaced with bus services. Travel times from Venice to Milan are expected to increase by up to 90 minutes, and by up to 2.5 hours in the opposite direction. Cross-border services on this line are also expected to suffer cancellations and delays during this period.
Trenitalia said affected travellers with high-speed Freccia bookings have been informed of the disruption via some 17,000 emails and 800 text messages, according to local news reports. In cases of delays greater than 60 minutes or cancellations, travellers have been offered a full refund or the option to reschedule their trip, according to il Corriere della Sera.