Over 100 trains cancelled

Train breakdown in Rome, Salvini: 'Blame a private company'. Contract with the company involved suspended

Delays of up to 4 hours. Rfi: 'We assess responsibility, we will take action'

by Redaction Rome

2 October 2024

Caos treni, circolazione sospesa a Roma: ritardi e cancellazioni

5' min read

Key points

Rfi: "We assess responsibility, we will take action"
Heavy repercussions on the Bologna node
Trains heavily delayed at Napoli Centrale
Strisciuglio (Rfi): rare fault on network, under investigation

5' min read

Sitting on trolleys waiting for communications, gazing at the luminous display boards - which have been off for some time - to try to get updates on train delays and cancellations. Or standing in the very long queues to try to reach the ticket offices, to get some information on departures or ask for a ticket refund. It has been a day of passion for tourists and commuters who had booked a train from Rome this morning or were due to arrive in the capital and found themselves in chaos at Termini station or at Tiburtina station after the breakdown on the railway line.

Since 6.30 this morning, Wednesday 2 October, rail traffic has been suspended at Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina due to a fault on the line. Rfi reported that there was 'a disconnection of the systems'. The chaos also affected other stations for delayed or cancelled departures and arrivals. "We apologise for the day's inconveniences, major inconveniences. There was a rare fault that affected the electrical cabin supplying the circulation system in the Rome node. The causes of the fault are currently being ascertained,' explained Rfi CEO Gianpiero Strisciuglio about the breakdown. 'Our workers intervened promptly and at 8.30 a.m. we restored circulation'. But the accumulated delays are weighing on users, who have nevertheless been asked to reschedule their journeys. "Circulation is severely slowed down," Trenitalia announced, while the intervention of the technicians continues.

More than a hundred trains have been cancelled, either totally or partially, due to the breakdown. While there are about forty high-speed and Intercity trains with delays of more than 60 minutes. Delays that could reach up to 240 minutes, as Trenitalia warns on its website. Most of the suppressed trains, about sixty, are regional trains in Lazio. About fifty instead are Av and Intercity trains.

"Those who have the inconvenience created today for thousands of people on their consciences will have to answer for it. Technicians tell me there was a mistake last night by a private company, which hammered a nail into a cable, and then the reaction time in the face of this mistake - I account that the private company will answer for it - was not up to the standard of Europe's second industrial power,' said Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on the sidelines of the Chamber of Deputies. Salvini was strongly criticised by the opposition. Pd and Avs asked: 'What is the minister waiting for to intervene?'

According to Rfi sources, the fault that blocked the Rome node for over three hours 'is not attributable to a hacker attack'.

Rfi: 'We assess responsibility, we will take action'

"In view of the serious disruptions of the last few hours, all events are being scrupulously assessed for the precise identification of responsibility". This was announced by Rfi after the breakdown that caused disruption to rail traffic today. In a note, the network company specifies that 'it is Rfi's intention to take action - also of a contractual nature - against all those who have made mistakes or have failed to live up to the situation'.

Donnarumma: our timely intervention

"Our intervention was certainly timely when they realised the problem (the technicians ed.), after which we can always improve," said the managing director of FS, Stefano Donnarumma, on the sidelines of an event, explaining that "a cable had sheared, the batteries came into operation and kept everything running until 6am, so no one noticed. When the battery failed, the technicians had to go there and activate the generators, and it took time, not lost time, it took time. Unfortunately, it's an accident with no malice aforethought". So 'we are making checks on how the work was conducted on site by the company,' he added. In a way, 'the batteries fooled our technicians because they safeguarded continuity and did not show the fault,' concluded Donnarumma.

Heavy repercussions on the Bologna node

The repercussions of the breakdown between the stations of Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina are heavy on the Bologna railway junction. The circulation of long-distance trains towards Milan-Turin and Venice and also in the opposite direction, towards the south, particularly in the Rome-Naples direction, is disrupted. There are some cancelled trains, for Milan-Turin-Rome, and for others heavy delays, even over two hours. The regional lines are mostly regular. Discomfort for commuters and passengers because not all travellers, especially early in the morning, had learned of the breakdown and the possible consequences.

Trains heavily delayed at Napoli Centrale

The breakdown on the line that has affected rail traffic in Rome has also caused serious repercussions and inconveniences in the rest of the country: at Napoli Centrale there are delays on high-speed trains of up to 120 minutes, both arriving and departing. The flow of regional trains, however, was regular. In the station of Napoli Centrale, a crowd of commuters has formed, waiting for the situation to be resolved and normal circulation to be restored.

Strisciuglio (Rfi): rare fault on network, under investigation

"We apologise for the inconveniences of the day, major inconveniences. A rare fault has occurred that has affected the electrical cabin supplying the circulation system in the Rome junction. The causes of the fault are currently being ascertained'. This was said by the CEO of Rfi, Gianpiero Strisciuglio, about the fault that caused the suspension of train circulation at Roma Termini and Tiburtina stations. "Our workers intervened promptly and at 8.30 a.m. we restored circulation," the Rfi CEO explained, emphasising that "we are a large company and we do not accept this happening".

"We rule out a hacker attack for the fault"

"We rule out a hacker attack," added Strisciuglio, on the sidelines of the presentation of Fs's new brand of regional trains, responding to a question on the possible causes of the breakdown that sent train traffic in the Rome node into a tailspin.

Donnarumma: Rfi and Trenitalia mobilised promptly

"Due to the failure of the power supply line at the Rome railway junction, an event that is actually quite rare and on which technical investigations are currently underway, colleagues from Rfi and Trenitalia have mobilised promptly and in force to deal with the criticality and impact on rail traffic," wrote FS CEO Stefano Donnarumma on Linkedin. "I took the opportunity to visit the operations room to see for myself the methods, tools and resources deployed in situations like this. I found myself in front of well-prepared and motivated colleagues, and I listened with keen interest to their opinion also on the improvement programmes underway and those that can be implemented in the near future,' the CEO added, emphasising: 'The FS Group is an internationally recognised excellence in the field of transport. It is for this reason that all of us railway workers must continue to do our utmost to improve more and more with efficiency and effectiveness, to guarantee optimal service levels but also to be able to handle unforeseen events such as these with lucidity and professionalism'.

Suspended contract with company involved

"Any activity between Rfi and the company that intervened on the Parco Prenestino - Roma Termini railway line, where there was damage to the line with consequences for train circulation, has been suspended," the Italian Ministry of Economic Development announced. The signature, it is explained, took place after the necessary verifications. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, it is stressed, 'had immediately expressed the need to verify the incident in order to ascertain any responsibility and act accordingly'.