Damage to the Milan rail network yesterday morning, which is said to have been caused by a high-speed train that left the central station in the northern city, led to major delays and cancellations of trains across the country, ANSA reported, quoted by BTA.
This is the latest in a series of train problems in Italy.
An incident early yesterday morning paralyzed traffic at Milan's central station and led to delays of up to 170 minutes for trains or the cancellation of several trains. Trains connecting Milan with Genoa, Venice and Bologna were also temporarily stopped. Delays of up to 140 minutes were also recorded at the "Termini" station in Rome due to the problem in Milan.
The damage is believed to have been caused by a high-speed train at Milan Central Station shortly after 7am. The train is believed to have damaged a wire with its pantograph. A train travelling later on the same line caused further damage.
Train services were restored across Milan's entire rail network yesterday afternoon, rail operator Trenitalia said. Passengers who were unable to travel or who were unable to reach their final destination will have their tickets fully refunded, the operator said.
Yesterday morning, Trenitalia urged passengers to "avoid or limit" train travel unless absolutely necessary and to postpone departures if possible.
Meanwhile, members of the center-left opposition criticized Transport Minister Matteo Salvini for the huge chaos that has affected rail connections across Italy.
Democratic Party leader Ellie Schlein said Salvini was only interested in moving from transport minister to interior minister, which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said would not happen.
Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Salvini was thinking about a deal with Elon Musk to provide satellite services rather than being concerned about trains.
Salvini's League allies, however, said he had inherited the post of transport minister after decades of blocked investment in the sector. And the transport ministry issued a statement yesterday saying that "decades of indifference and lack of investment have caused serious infrastructure problems on the railway network".
The statement said that over the past two years Salvini "has made great efforts to change the trend, particularly on the railway network, despite bureaucracy and numerous strikes called by left-wing unions". It added that passenger trains in Italy had increased by 2% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
"Minister Salvini intends to improve rail traffic, to make Italy more modern and connected", the statement said. It noted that 9,000 trains run daily in Italy, and that 875 more trains will be added this year. And the Italian state railways have a 100 billion euro plan to maintain the rail network.