Possible Upcoming Strikes in Italy - Make a Back-up Plan
 

I just wanted to post this information about strikes again in case fellow travelers might want to make back-up plans. The source for this information is SeekItaly.com. They list several other strikes but I copied just the ones that i thought would effect the most people.

May 12th ~ 13th 2005:
24 hours nationwide strike of railroaders belonging to FS (Ferrovie dello Stato - State Railroads ), from 2100 (May 12) till 2100 (May 13). --- Expect significant FS trains and ferries disruptions.

May 28th 2005:
8 hours air strike (1000 - 1800) of Alitalia pilots.

May 31st 2005:
24 hours nationwide strike of local public transportation (buses, subways, tramways and some local trains).

So if I plan on taking trains on the 11th and 14th (Florence-Cinque Terre and return), I should probably book reservations in advance and expect crowds, right?

Yes, definitely. I traveled through northern Italy last year the day before a strike and the trains were crammed--every seat reserved for every portion of the ride.

We were planning on taking the ES train from Rome Termini to Naples on the 14th in the morning - probably between 10am and 11am (depends on when our flight arrives at FCO and how fast we can catch the Leonardo Express).

Is this route likely to be crowded too? I hate to purchase a ticket online because our flight could be delayed, or any number of other things that could cause us to arrive at the Rome Termini later than we anticipate.

Suggestions?

We arrive in Rome on the 13th and planned to take the Leonardo di Vinci express to the city but I guess that's out?

Lily: The 'Leonardo Express' airport train still runs during strikes.
Others will probably agree and it is also 1st hand experience of mine (Mar'04). Regards, Walter

Thanks, BTilke. I guess I know what we're doing as soon as we arrive--booking our trains!

Does anyone know what Trenitalia’s reimbursement policy is if there is a strike. Suppose you have a ticketless reservation on a Eurostar train that is affected by the strike. Do you still have to contact Trenitalia and cancel or is it just a given that they automatically reimburse your account? I have e-mailed Trenitalia at their helpdesk but have not heard back.

We have a reservation on a Eurostar train on May 31st from Naples to Rome. Does a strike mean that no trains will run on that date or can we assume that trains will continue to run - albeit more slowly? What would be a back-up mode of transport from Positano to Rome on May 31st?

TTT

Hi Rosemary23 - what does 'TTT' mean?

May 31?I was planning a day trip to Assisi..must change the date..

TTT

I've had to travel in Italy on a rail strike day, so I'll try to explain what happens. Most trains are cancelled, but not all. There is a small number of trains that must, by law, run during a strike; these are mostly morning and evening commuter trains that allow other people to get to work, and a few long-distance trains. There may also be other trains that will run if train staff turn up for work rather than join the strike. The trains that do run are likely to be packed.
Of the strikes listed this month, only the one on 12/13 May affects the national FS system. The one on 31 May is for local transport which may affect rail lines like the Circumvesuviana.
The best way of dealing with a strike is to have a flexible itinerary - travel a day earlier or later than you'd originally planned, or switch a day trip to somewhere else.

I am in the final throes of planning our mid-May trip to Italy..and from time to time check out additional travel tips from fellow Fodorites! Have taken alot of your good advice to heart and it has been soooo helpful thus far.

Am really dismayed about train strike news or ..should I be thankful to hear about it before we leave.

We will be traveling to Varenna from Malpensa on May 12th..had planned to take the Malpensa Shuttle to Milan Centrale and train on to Varenna.

In order to avoid train travel I have looked into possible buses to Varenna from Malpensa. Is there an SPT bus from the airport to Como or other bus connections someone has used? Can't find a site to check that out. Would that be our best bet and then ferry to Varenna from Como?

Has anyone arrived in the lake district by bus??? How frequently do ferries cross the lake and where will we "land" when we arrive in Varenna with all our baggage...actually traveling pretty light but still...

We are staying at the Ermeo Gaudio and have been advised to take a cab to the hotel from the train station.

Maybe all of this is simpler than I imagine it right now...thot I had it all figured out!!!!!!

bobsie - there is a bus from MXP to Como. It takes about an hour (costs about €13) but it only runs three times a day - around 8:00am, around 1 pm and around 5 pm. You can find the schedule if you go to the MXP airport site. From Como you can take a boat up to Varenna (couple of hours if I remember correctly)(bus drops you off right across the square from the boats) The boats run fairly often, I don't remember having to wait too long. Varenna is tiny but I don't know where that hotel is. The boat landing is more central than the train station in Varenna so you might not need a taxi.

A frequent poster here, GAC, has all the info you could possibly want on transportation in this area so if you click on his name you might find some of his very useful posts.

Neetse, the abbreviation "TTT" stands for "To the Top", meaning that you want to bring the particular posting up to the top of the list so that it can remain current and fresh ensuring that more people can view it. It is the equivalent of keeping the information in the headlines, so to speak. The longer a post stays on the board it tends to drop down the list and ultimately falls off the chart in a sense.

GeoffHamer, thanks for your first hand experience. I have very little flexibility in my schedule, so I think I will probably be out of luck. My ticketless eurostar reservation is smack dab in the middle of the day on the 13th at 12:30, so I doubt they will run this train. I have to absolutley get to Florence on the 13th so I will be renting a car -- something I really wanted to avoid as I have not driven a manual transmission in some time. Oh, well hopefully it will be like riding a bike and will come back to me. My B&B owner advised me to pray to Saint Anthony, the patron Saint of Miracles, and perhaps he could help me out with a strike cancellation. At this point I am open to anything!

Can anyone suggest what I should do?In this case my family and I (4 of us ) will be caught in this strike.We arrive Rome 13May 06.00hr and need to train to Ancona to catch our overnight ferry at 18.00hr to Croatia.Have our ferry tickets fully paid and ....what is the solution now.Our plan is to train to Spoleto,spend a few hours there before taking the next train to ancona.Please help with some advise.

ttt