Italy Faces New Travel Chaos as Train System Failure Strands Thousands Across the Country

Published on October 2, 2024

By: Rana Pratap

Train commuters across Italy are facing severe disruption after a major system failure paralyzed Rome’s two largest train stations, Termini and Tiburtina, on Wednesday morning. The incident has left thousands of passengers stranded, with countless trains delayed or canceled.

The nightmare unfolded around 6:30am when a technical “failure” halted all departures between the two stations, plunging the country’s railway network into chaos. To make matters worse, departure boards went completely black, leaving passengers clueless about their train schedules and sparking fears of a potential cyberattack.

Frustrated travelers have taken to social media to voice their concerns, with one passenger describing the situation as “a complete collapse.” Trenitalia, Italy’s national operator, has reported that train traffic is “heavily disrupted” and has urged passengers to reschedule their journeys.

Roma Termini station is one of Rome’s most iconic landmarks and serves as the busiest railway station in Italy. With 800 trains and 600,000 passengers passing through daily, it is a critical hub for both local and long-distance travel. Its importance to the city and country’s transportation infrastructure makes any disruption here highly impactful, as witnessed during the recent train system failure that caused widespread chaos.

Rome Tiburtina Station, the second-largest railway station in the capital, handles around 500 trains daily and sees approximately 140,000 passengers transit through it every day. Serving 51 million users annually, Tiburtina plays a key role in managing both high-speed and regional train traffic, further compounding the disruption caused by the recent system failure that brought both stations to a standstill.

At least 22 high-speed and intercity routes have been shut down, and delays of up to three hours are being reported on key routes like Naples-Milan and Rome-Turin.

This marks the second consecutive day of transport chaos in Italy, following a complete shutdown of Milan Bergamo airport on Tuesday after a Ryanair plane’s tire exploded upon landing. Though unrelated, both incidents are contributing to growing frustration among travelers.

High-Speed and Intercity Trains Fully Canceled

Due to the ongoing system failure at Rome’s Termini and Tiburtina stations, several high-speed and intercity trains have been fully canceled, adding to the chaos for passengers. Below is the full list of affected trains:

High-Speed Trains Canceled:

• FR 9616 Naples Central (6:55) – Milan Central (11:35)
• FR 9501 Rome Termini (7:00) – Naples Central (8:12)
• FR 9512 Rome Termini (7:10) – Milan Central (10:50)
• FR 9610 Rome Termini (7:20) – Milan Central (10:35)
• FR 9622 Naples Central (8:25) – Milan Central (12:58)
• FR 9613 Milan Central (8:30) – Naples Central (13:10)
• FR 9618 Rome Termini (8:50) – Milan Central (11:58)
• FR 9615 Milan Central (8:58) – Rome Termini (12:10)
• FA 8863 Rome Termini (8:58) – Reggio Calabria Central (14:20)
• FR 9617 Milan Central (9:35) – Rome Termini (12:34)
• FR 8508 Rome Termini (9:50) – Brescia (14:00)
• FR 9628 Naples Central (9:55) – Milan Central (14:35)
• FR 9619 Milan Central (9:58) – Naples Central (14:33)
• FR 9527 Milan Central (10:10) – Salerno (16:06)
• FR 9413 Venice Santa Lucia (10:26) – Naples Central (15:48)
• FR 9416 Rome Termini (10:35) – Venice Santa Lucia (14:34)
• FR 9420 Naples Central (11:09) – Venice Santa Lucia (16:34)
• FR 9625 Milan Central (11:25) – Naples Central (16:03)
• FR 9415 Venice Santa Lucia (11:26) – Rome Termini (15:25)
• FR 9627 Milan Central (11:58) – Naples Central (16:33)
• FR 8868 Reggio Calabria Central (13:42) – Rome Termini (19:15)
• FR 9427 Venice Santa Lucia (15:26) – Salerno (21:38)
• FR 8527 Brescia (17:00) – Rome Termini (21:10)

Intercity Trains Canceled:

• FB 8606 Rome Termini (6:57) – Turin Porta Nuova (13:40)
• FB 8623 Turin Porta Nuova (15:15) – Rome Termini (22:03)
• IC 723 Rome Termini (7:26) – Palermo Central (19:03)
• IC 534 Rome Termini (7:50) – Ancona (11:25)
• IC 588 Rome Termini (10:22) – Trieste Central (18:37)

These cancellations are contributing to major disruptions across Italy’s rail network, leaving travelers struggling to find alternative routes as Trenitalia continues to manage the ongoing crisis.

High-Speed and Intercity Trains Partially Canceled

Due to the massive system failure affecting Rome’s Termini and Tiburtina stations, several high-speed and intercity trains have been partially canceled or rerouted. Here’s the full list of impacted services:

High-Speed Trains:

• FR 9505 Milano Centrale (5.10am) – Salerno (10.28am): The journey ends at Napoli Centrale, skipping Roma Termini.
• FR 9612 Battipaglia (5.12am) – Torino Porta Nuova (12.10pm): The journey ends at Napoli Centrale.
• FR 9304 Napoli Centrale (5.23am) – Torino Porta Nuova (12.20pm): The journey ends at Milano Centrale.
• FR 8334 Napoli Centrale (5.45am) – Fiumicino Airport (7.52am): The journey ends at Roma Termini.
• FR 8502 Roma Termini (6.45am) – Bolzano (11.55am): The journey ends at Verona.
• FR 9591 Firenze Santa Maria Novella (7.05am) – Fiumicino Airport (9.22am): The journey ends at Roma Termini.
• FR 9414 Salerno (7.13am) – Venezia Santa Lucia (1.34pm): The journey ends at Napoli Centrale.
• FR 9543 Torino Porta Nuova (1.00pm) – Salerno (8.05pm): The journey now starts from Milano Centrale.
• FR 8519 Bolzano (1.12pm) – Sibari (10.31pm): The journey now starts from Verona.
• FR 9544 Salerno (12.50pm) – Milano Centrale (6.50pm): The journey now starts from Napoli Centrale.
• FR 8335 Fiumicino Airport (9.38am) – Napoli Centrale (11.33am): The journey now starts from Roma Termini.

Intercity Trains:

• IC 582 Salerno (5.28am) – Roma Termini (8.34am): The journey ends at Formia.
• IC 581 Firenze Santa Maria Novella (5.45am) – Roma Termini (8.20am): The journey ends at Orvieto.
• IC 533 Ancona (5.50am) – Roma Termini (9.48am): The journey ends at Spoleto.
• IC 550 Reggio Calabria Centrale (6.17am) – Roma Termini (1.32pm): The journey ends at Napoli Centrale.
• IC 701 Roma Termini (6.26am) – Taranto (12.55pm): The journey ends at Battipaglia.
• IC 531 Perugia (6.40am) – Roma Termini (8.55am): The journey ends at Terni.
• IC 551 Roma Termini (9.26am) – Reggio Calabria Centrale (4.55pm): The journey now starts from Formia.
• IC 553 Roma Termini (12.26pm) – Reggio Calabria Centrale (8.07pm): The journey now starts from Napoli Centrale.
• IC 702 Taranto (1.50pm) – Roma Termini (8.34pm): The journey now starts from Battipaglia.

This list reflects the significant disruptions and changes to high-speed and intercity routes following the system failure, with Trenitalia urging passengers to reschedule their trips.