Train delays of more than eight hours and chaos at stations.
The fatal collision that occurred in Calabria this morning blocked train traffic for half a day, causing huge inconvenience to thousands of passengers. Many queued at ticket counters to ask for information and find solutions, seeing departure times slipping away on bright billboards.
Among the most critical situations is at Rome’s main airport, Termini stationwhere in the evening the delay exceeded eight hours, with hundreds of people still waiting, in a state of mixed anger and resignation. But even in Milan there were considerable delays to some convoys coming from Reggio Calabria. Ferrovie dello Stato announced that, due to the investment that occurred at around 8 am in Praia a Mare, the findings of the judicial authorities required that traffic be completely stopped until 14.50, then trains would gradually return to circulation. Meanwhile, an investigation by police officers is underway, coordinated by the Paola Prosecutor’s Office, to uncover the tragedy. Based on reconstruction, the victim was a woman and was hit by a Frecciarossa which was leaving Reggio Calabria heading north.
The most popular hypothesis today is suicide. And the new inconvenience for travelers has sparked a backlash. “In Roma Termini, today’s news tells of another Armageddon – the thunder of the leader of the M5 group in the Senate Public Works and Transport Committee, Gabriella Di Girolamo – Salvini must understand that there is not only an unrealistic bridge across the Channel that exists. We think it is appropriate for him to let go of his level, spatula and shovel for a moment to try to understand why, since he has been here, our rail service has gone back to 70 years ago.”
Meanwhile, Assoutenti is of the opinion that “the revision of the legal regulations regarding the rights of train passengers cannot be postponed any longer, so that they are closer to the regulations that already apply to air transportation”. According to the association, “what happened once again shows the fragility of the system”. Therefore, he called for a “leap in quality in tourist protection policies”. “It is important to introduce automatic compensation, commensurate with the real inconvenience experienced – said President Gabriele Melluso – as is already the case in air transport, to guarantee fair and immediate compensation for those who have lost time, commitment and peace of mind in travel”.
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