by InTrieste
Italian rail services face major disruption on Tuesday, November 5, as railway workers stage an eight-hour nationwide strike to demand increased safety measures following a brutal assault on a train conductor in Genoa.
The strike, organized by major Italian trade unions, will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and involve staff across the country’s primary rail operators, including Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper, FS Security, Italo NTV, and Trenord. The unions say the action is in response to a series of “violent and repeated attacks” against railway personnel in recent months, underscoring an urgent call for enhanced security measures on Italy’s public transport network.
The immediate catalyst for the protest was a violent incident on Monday afternoon on a regional train running from Genoa to Busalla. A conductor was reportedly stabbed by two men of North African origin while performing a routine ticket check near the Rivarolo area, according to Italian media. The injured conductor was taken to a Genoa hospital and remains in serious condition. The alleged assailants were swiftly detained by local authorities.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini, condemned the attack and vowed stronger action on transportation security. “No clemency for those responsible: such actions must not go unpunished,” Salvini posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We will continue to do our utmost to make Italy safer, starting with trains and stations.”
November promises to be a month of widespread strikes affecting Italy’s transportation sector. Besides the railway strike, air travel and local public transit are also expected to face disruptions, raising concerns about Italy’s infrastructure security amid escalating demands for safety improvements across the network.
As Italian authorities grapple with public demands for action, the transport sector’s unions have warned that more industrial actions could be imminent if security conditions for workers do not improve.
