Rail passengers across Italy awoke on Saturday to cancellations and severe delays as an eight-hour walkout by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) maintenance crews overlapped with a separate 24-hour strike by train drivers and conductors. The combined action affects high-speed Frecciarossa and Italo services as well as regional trains operated by Trenord and Trenitalia, disrupting airport links to Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Venice Marco Polo.
Guaranteed minimum services are running in the 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 time-bands, but operators have warned that rolling stock and crew availability will remain patchy even outside the official strike hours. Bus replacements are in place for some airport corridors, yet congestion around stations has already lengthened transfer times by up to 90 minutes.
Should delays force foreign passengers to rethink their itineraries or extend their stays, VisaHQ can streamline any necessary Schengen visa adjustments or fresh applications entirely online; its team coordinates documentation, consular appointments and courier deliveries, sparing travelers another queue on an already chaotic travel day. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
![Nationwide Rail Strike on 10 January Paralyzes Italian Train Services]()
For business travellers the strike lands at a critical moment: many multinationals schedule year-opening leadership meetings in Milan and Rome during the second week of January. Travel managers are advising executives to switch to virtual participation or reroute via Bologna, Verona or Zurich airports and complete the final leg by car. Companies should also remind travelling staff of EU 261 compensation rights if connecting flights are missed because of rail disruption.
Unions are demanding higher wages in light of 5-percent inflation and safer staffing ratios after a series of near-miss incidents in 2025. Government mediators have called both sides to the table next week, but labour experts predict further stoppages in February if talks stall. Mobility teams with large commuter populations should therefore update business-continuity plans and communicate flexible-work options for office staff unable to reach city centres.
Travellers can consult real-time updates via Trenitalia and Italo apps or the Transport Ministry’s strike calendar. Those with non-refundable tickets may rebook without penalty for travel through 17 January, provided seats are available.
Guaranteed minimum services are running in the 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 time-bands, but operators have warned that rolling stock and crew availability will remain patchy even outside the official strike hours. Bus replacements are in place for some airport corridors, yet congestion around stations has already lengthened transfer times by up to 90 minutes.
Should delays force foreign passengers to rethink their itineraries or extend their stays, VisaHQ can streamline any necessary Schengen visa adjustments or fresh applications entirely online; its team coordinates documentation, consular appointments and courier deliveries, sparing travelers another queue on an already chaotic travel day. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
For business travellers the strike lands at a critical moment: many multinationals schedule year-opening leadership meetings in Milan and Rome during the second week of January. Travel managers are advising executives to switch to virtual participation or reroute via Bologna, Verona or Zurich airports and complete the final leg by car. Companies should also remind travelling staff of EU 261 compensation rights if connecting flights are missed because of rail disruption.
Unions are demanding higher wages in light of 5-percent inflation and safer staffing ratios after a series of near-miss incidents in 2025. Government mediators have called both sides to the table next week, but labour experts predict further stoppages in February if talks stall. Mobility teams with large commuter populations should therefore update business-continuity plans and communicate flexible-work options for office staff unable to reach city centres.
Travellers can consult real-time updates via Trenitalia and Italo apps or the Transport Ministry’s strike calendar. Those with non-refundable tickets may rebook without penalty for travel through 17 January, provided seats are available.
