Does anyone know anything about air traffic controller and train strikes in Italy for May and continuing into June? I understand large cites will be impacted and strikes or delays will be on selected days of a few hours or as much as 24 hours or more hours. The FS railroad is expected to be impacted. Does that impact Aerostar train travel for which we have May tickets? Any updates or comments?

Hello Sam,<BR>Your message of strikes got me worried. I did a search on google and found this website which has some information about strikes in italy.<BR>You probably already have this info, but this is all I can do to help.<BR>http://www.seekitaly.com/news/from_roma.html#STRIKES

Train strikes often occur in Italy, usually lasting a few hours with advance notice. Not worth worrying about situation. It may happen, may not. It'll be part of your Italian experience.<BR>

The site I mentioned said on May 18 21h00 to May 19 21h00 the rail will be on strike. If this is a day you had planned on travelling, I think you would be affected.<BR>Also it says May 12 no motorized vehicles are allowed in the central streets of Rome - to make a statement about pollution or something. I wonder what region is considered central - the Vatican - the Colessum area? Also I guess this means buses and everything?

???<BR>

In reply to others we are traveling by Eurostar on May 14 and 17. Hopefully we will not be impacted too much if at all. Take it and grin, and enjoy the Italian experience. Sam.

I just checked the seekitaly.com website and they have a link to an official gov't site listing all the planned strikes (including the trains on May 19th, the day I will be traveling). Do the workers always follow through or are these sometimes empty threats? I guess the planned nature and frequency of these strikes is to demonstrate the workers' value to Italian society, or something like that?

The website wording is "24 hours strike of FS railroads and ferry personnel, from 2100 (May 18) till 2100 (May 19th)"...Does anyone know if a strike would suspend ferry boat service on Lago Maggiore?

topping

Most Italian train strikes focus on commuter schedules. Long-run and upscale trains such as the Eurostars (NOT "Aerostar") still run. In addition, Ferrovia dello Stato (FS) workers almost always strike for short periods during the day--again, during commuting hours--so one can almost always find a train available during the mid-day or late evening hours. Buone vacanze!

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