Intercity tender: single lot to avert strike. A further 56 million for the Turin–Lyon line

The Infrastructure Decree, approved by the Council of Ministers, addresses one of the most sensitive issues in the railway sector in recent months: the tender for the renewal of the Intercity service, which has become the focus of a dispute between the trade unions and the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The legislation stipulates that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), led by Salvini, must launch the procedures for awarding the contract by 31 December 2026; more importantly, it removes the requirement to divide the contract into multiple lots, stipulating that contracts ‘may be divided into one or more lots’. This amendment responds to a request made by the trade unions, which have been protesting for months against a ‘piecemeal’ tender process.

It was precisely the structure of the forthcoming tender that had led Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugl Ferrovieri, Fast-Confsal and Orsa Ferrovie to call a national strike across the entire rail sector for 11 June. Summoned on 9 June to the Ministry at Porta Pia by Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, the trade unions had reiterated the need to retain the single tender, demanding guarantees regarding the social clause, the application of the collective agreement and investment in upgrading the network. For its part, the Ministry had undertaken to amend the current legislation, thereby paving the way for the strike to be called off. Yesterday, that promise was kept, bringing the single-tender solution, amongst others, back onto the table.

Alongside the rail dossier, the decree also reopens the issue of infrastructure in Lazio. The deadlines for the adoption of the expropriation decrees required to complete the Rome–Latina intermodal link and the Cisterna–Valmontone motorway have been extended by two years: the deadlines have therefore been pushed back from 2026 to 2028. There is also provision for the Turin–Lyon line. The measure authorises total expenditure of €56.2 million ‘at a rate of €15 million for each of the years 2026, 2027 and 2028, and €9.6 million for the year 2029’ to fund the compensatory works associated with the new cross-border rail link.