Business travelers and commuters in the Italian capital faced unexpected headaches on Friday, 19 December, when a four-hour strike by ATAC staff forced the complete closure of Rome’s Metro C and suspended service on 27 suburban bus routes. The walk-out, organised by the ORSA and USB unions, ran from 09:00 to 13:00 and involved train drivers, station staff and bus operators based at the Tor Vergata depot.
Although the city’s busiest underground lines (A, B/B1) and most surface routes operated normally, the stoppage paralysed mobility across Rome’s fast-growing eastern business corridor, which includes the emerging life-sciences hub around Tor Vergata and several industrial parks on the A1 motorway. Travellers heading to Ciampino Airport and the new Rome Convention Centre reported delays of up to one hour as replacement buses became overcrowded.
For those planning future trips to the Italian capital, VisaHQ can remove at least some of the uncertainty. The company offers quick, online processing for Italy business and tourist visas, real-time updates on entry regulations and alerts about in-country developments like public-transport strikes. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
![Four-Hour Rome Transport Strike Shuts Metro C and 27 Bus Lines]()
Unions say the protest was triggered by staffing shortages, mandatory overtime and delays in renewing the company’s collective labour agreement, which expired in December 2024. ATAC management countered that negotiations are ongoing and that it has hired 400 new drivers this year, but acknowledges that Metro C still lacks 15 % of its required workforce.
For multinational employers the walk-out is a reminder that local transport disruption can derail meeting schedules just as year-end travel peaks. Global mobility managers with offices in Rome are being advised to update duty-of-care protocols, pre-book licensed taxis and alert staff to possible after-shock delays during the Friday evening rush hour. Metro C services are expected to resume fully after 14:00 once rolling-stock safety checks are completed, but further actions cannot be ruled out if talks stall.
Looking ahead, Italy’s transport ministry has asked companies and unions to sign an “industrial peace” pledge covering the Christmas period. If no deal emerges, sporadic strikes could continue into the first quarter of 2026, coinciding with preparations for the Jubilee Year when Rome anticipates 30 million foreign visitors.
Although the city’s busiest underground lines (A, B/B1) and most surface routes operated normally, the stoppage paralysed mobility across Rome’s fast-growing eastern business corridor, which includes the emerging life-sciences hub around Tor Vergata and several industrial parks on the A1 motorway. Travellers heading to Ciampino Airport and the new Rome Convention Centre reported delays of up to one hour as replacement buses became overcrowded.
For those planning future trips to the Italian capital, VisaHQ can remove at least some of the uncertainty. The company offers quick, online processing for Italy business and tourist visas, real-time updates on entry regulations and alerts about in-country developments like public-transport strikes. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
Unions say the protest was triggered by staffing shortages, mandatory overtime and delays in renewing the company’s collective labour agreement, which expired in December 2024. ATAC management countered that negotiations are ongoing and that it has hired 400 new drivers this year, but acknowledges that Metro C still lacks 15 % of its required workforce.
For multinational employers the walk-out is a reminder that local transport disruption can derail meeting schedules just as year-end travel peaks. Global mobility managers with offices in Rome are being advised to update duty-of-care protocols, pre-book licensed taxis and alert staff to possible after-shock delays during the Friday evening rush hour. Metro C services are expected to resume fully after 14:00 once rolling-stock safety checks are completed, but further actions cannot be ruled out if talks stall.
Looking ahead, Italy’s transport ministry has asked companies and unions to sign an “industrial peace” pledge covering the Christmas period. If no deal emerges, sporadic strikes could continue into the first quarter of 2026, coinciding with preparations for the Jubilee Year when Rome anticipates 30 million foreign visitors.
