Transport Strike Italy July 24 & 26 ?

[tikruizer]

Hi:

A fellow cruiser posted an article that there was a call for a national transit strike for July 24th and 26th.  This article is from June 26th. http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2019/06/26/national-transport-strike-july-24-and-26_ad32334d-5d78-4d91-9078-f74f8c9ade5c.html

 

I tried to do some research, and according to www.cgsse.it the latest scheduled strike is on July 16-18.

 

Anyone can confirm on this, and also if the Campania Express is affected in case of a transportation strike.

 

Thanks

[boxall]

I am also trying to understand if that is correct? I am travelling from Venice to Rome via train on July 26 before a cruise on the 28th.

[boxall]

It is real:

 

https://www.cgsse.it/web/guest/scioperi-generali

 

[tikruizer]

35 minutes ago, boxall said:

It is real:

 

https://www.cgsse.it/web/guest/scioperi-generali

 

 

The July 26th strike seems to be from 10:00 until 14:00.  Hope someone with more knowledge of this things can confirm.

[boxall]

We leave for Rome on the 26th at 10:25am. 😞 Trenitalia. But maybe it is just air on the 26th?

 

I have reached out to our AirBNB host and travel guide.

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by boxall
More info

[euro cruiser]

The strikes on the 24th specifically exclude air transport while the strikes on the 26th are all air/air related.  Therefore, travel by train on the 26th won't be affected.

 

On the 26th they seem to mostly be at the Milan airports and against Alitalia airlines specifically, but there are a few smaller unions that I can't identify.

 

http://scioperi.mit.gov.it/mit2/public/scioperi

 

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by euro cruiser

[boxall]

We have friends travelling to Venice via rail on the 24th and we will be using a bus from the airport to main Venice, will they be affected do you think?

 

 

[euro cruiser]

The airport bus won't be affected but the train to Venice might be, it depends on the timing.  Have they already purchased their tickets?  On which train line (Trenitalia or Italotreno)?

[boxall]

Checking. Thanks heaps for your knowledgeable info.

[euro cruiser]

If they haven't already purchased tickets there are specific trains that are guaranteed in case of a strike, those would be the ones to buy.  We'd need to know the date and where they are coming from to show you which trains are guaranteed.

[boxall]

OK here are the details:

 

24 July

 

9:07 Leaving Monterosso and arriving Pisa Centrale 10:17

10:32 Leaving Pisa Centrale and arriving Firenze 11:32

12:15 Leaving Firenze and arriving Venezia 2:20pm - Trenitalia Domestic.

 

So 3 train trips on strike day!

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by boxall

[euro cruiser]

Unfortunately, none of these three trains are guaranteed in case of a strike.

 

That was probably the fastest routing but perhaps not the most comfortable.

 

The good news is that they weren't planning to travel on the day your cruise departs so they have some flexibility.  Trenitalia will re-book them at no charge the next day but I don't think they will do it this far in advance, because the strike might be called off in the meantime.

 

Or they could simply buy new tickets for the day before the strike and go to Venice a day before they planned.  This means tossing away the money they already spent on the tickets, although they may be able to get that back later.

 

Their choices may be further restricted by how they bought the tickets, did they go through a reseller or purchase directly from Trenitalia?  If they purchased direct from Trenitalia I would reach out to their customer service to learn what their options are for changing the tickets.  https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase/info_contacts.html

 

Personally, although it would take longer I would do a different routing, an IC train from Monterosso to Milano Centrale, followed by a Frecce train to Venice.  This allows you to have reserved seats on both trains and just one change but it means leaving very early in the morning (6:54 AM from Monterosso), a rather long wait between trains in Milan (arrive at 10 AM, leave for Venice at 11:45), and an overall longer journey (arrives Venice 14:10, so a total of seven and a quarter hours in transit).  When traveling with luggage I'm willing to travel longer to avoid changes and to have assigned seats, if possible.  In this case it means two additional hours on the road, which may be more than they are willing to trade off.

 

 

[boxall]

Wow thanks so much I will advise them of this info.  They can't travel earlier as they have other travel commitments before then. 

 

They do have assigned seats in their existing bookings.  

 

So that other option is guaranteed to run?

 

Or should they look at driving?

 

Bookings were through an Aussie travel agent.  

 

Thanks again.  

[boxall]

Sorry i just also read the strike is not always guranteed to happen?

[euro cruiser]

Sometimes strikes are cancelled before they happen but this looks like a big one, a lot of different unions would have to agree to cancel so I wouldn't count on it.

 

In their place I would go back to the travel agent and ask them to research options.  If they can't travel the day before they can look at options for travel the day after.  Renting a car and driving is an option but an expensive one because you'd be tossing out the train tickets and adding the cost of a rental.  It comes down to how the agent purchased the tickets (full fare vs. reduced).

 

By the way, they would have seat assignments on the Monterosso to Pisa leg (IC train) and the Florence to Venice leg (Frecce) but not the hour between Pisa and Florence.  That's a regional train, there are no assigned seats.

[boxall]

Thanks heaps again. 

 

No sign of issues on the 26th on the train from Venice to Rome?

 

 

[boxall]

11 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

 

Personally, although it would take longer I would do a different routing, an IC train from Monterosso to Milano Centrale, followed by a Frecce train to Venice. 

 

 

 

Will these run on the 24th???

[euro cruiser]

No, neither of these trains are guaranteed in case of a strike unfortunately.

[boxall]

OH bugger. They are really screwed then. Arrive a day earlier, arrive a day later (< 24 hours in Venice), drive or don't come at all.

 

So no guaranteed trains to get to Venice on the 24th?

[euro cruiser]

There are very few guaranteed national trains to Venice, it's a tourist destination rather than a business one.  The regional guaranteed trains won't help since they are coming from Liguria.

 

 

[boxall]

Thanks again. They have a 4 day rail pass, so not sure what they will do. I think car or earlier travel maybe the only options.

 

[euro cruiser]

Yikes!  Rail passes rarely pay out in Italy, I would seriously question whether their travel agent is sufficiently up to speed on Italian transport options.  Or maybe they just get a better commission selling the passes?

[happythoughts]

Are local metro and buses scheduled to strike in Rome on July 26? Also in case the strike continues, anyone know if treinitalia service Salerno to Pompei and return  would be running on July 28?

[euro cruiser]

The strikes on the 26th are air travel related.

 

Strikes don't continue - they happen for a set period of time, usually no longer than 24 hours and often for less than that.