Published on : 07 Jul 2026
Italy’s transport disruptions did not stop when the aviation strikes ended on July 5. The rail sector began its own walkout yesterday evening — and it is still running now.
As of 21:00 on Monday, July 6, 2026, USB Lavoro Privato’s national 24-hour strike of Mercitalia Shunting and Terminal staff began — running until 21:00 this evening, Tuesday, July 7. A 24-hour national strike by Mercitalia Shunting and Terminal staff runs from 9.00 pm on 6 July to 9.00 pm on 7 July. Simultaneously, and specifically relevant for any traveller in Sicily today, an 8-hour regional strike is planned by RFI staff — Palermo Regional Infrastructure Operations Department — from 9 am to 5 pm on July 7.
This is a freight and rail infrastructure strike, not a Trenitalia or Italo passenger train strike — and that distinction matters enormously for how you plan your day. Mercitalia Shunting and Terminal workers manage rail freight logistics across Italy’s network: shunting freight wagons, managing freight terminal operations, and handling the physical movement of cargo through Italy’s rail yards. When they strike, passenger trains keep running — but the shared rail infrastructure that freight and passengers both use becomes more congested, and delays on lines where freight and passenger operations interact can cascade.
The Sicily dimension — where RFI’s Palermo maintenance staff are also out today — lands on top of the Mount Etna closure at Catania Airport, creating a genuinely difficult transport picture for any traveller currently stranded or travelling in Sicily. The airport is closed. Palermo is the primary diversion. And Palermo’s rail maintenance staff are also striking today.
Published: July 7, 2026 — Tuesday Strike 1 — Mercitalia Shunting and Terminal (national) Workers: Rail freight shunting and terminal operations staff Union: USB Lavoro Privato Duration: 21:00 Monday July 6 → 21:00 Tuesday July 7 (24 hours, ends this evening) Scope: Nationwide — all Italian freight rail terminals and shunting operations Strike 2 — RFI DOIT Palermo (regional Sicily) Workers: RFI maintenance, administrative and engineering staff — Palermo Regional Infrastructure Operations Department Union: Multi-union action Duration: 09:00–17:00 Tuesday July 7 (8 hours — active now) Scope: Palermo rail infrastructure maintenance — Sicily only Passenger trains (Trenitalia / Italo): ✅ NOT directly striking — passenger services continue Expected passenger impact: ⚠️ Indirect — shared infrastructure congestion possible on freight-heavy lines Sicily compound risk: ⚠️ HIGH — Catania Airport closed (Etna) + diversion to Palermo + Palermo rail maintenance strike TODAY Protected windows (if any passenger disruption occurs): 06:00–09:00 and 18:00–21:00 on weekdays — guaranteed minimum services Trenitalia guaranteed trains: Published at trenitalia.com → Strikes Airport links at risk today: Malpensa Express (freight-adjacent network) · Naples Circumvesuviana (assess) · Palermo Central connections Trenitalia refund policy on strike days: Full refund available until train departure time (Frecce/Intercity) or midnight the day before (Regional)
The most important thing to understand about today’s Italy rail strike is what it does and does not cover. For regional transport operated by Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper, and Trenord, essential services are guaranteed in the event of a strike on weekdays from 6:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00. But that guaranteed service framework applies to passenger strikes — and today’s Mercitalia action is a freight worker action, not a Trenitalia passenger worker action.
Mercitalia Shunting and Terminal is a subsidiary of the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) Group that specifically handles:
This is the infrastructure that moves goods — not people. Italy’s passenger network (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca high-speed trains; Intercity services; Regional trains; and Italo) runs on the same physical rail infrastructure as freight, but is operated by separate companies with separate staff who are not part of today’s Mercitalia walkout.
Why this still matters for travellers: Italy’s high-speed and long-distance passenger trains share track with freight services on many mainline corridors, particularly outside the dedicated Alta Velocità (AV) high-speed network. When freight shunting operations slow or stop at major rail yards — particularly at Milan, Rome, Naples, Bologna, and other freight hubs — the resulting congestion on shared track segments can reduce timetable reliability and introduce delays on passing passenger services. This indirect effect is real but unpredictable, and less severe than a direct passenger worker strike.
The practical verdict: Trenitalia and Italo passenger trains are running today. Do not avoid the train entirely on the basis of this strike. Do, however, allow additional journey time, particularly if your route passes through a major freight interchange point.
For any traveller currently in Sicily — either stranded by the Catania Airport closure or trying to reach Palermo Airport as the diversion hub — today’s transport picture is genuinely complicated.
An 8-hour regional strike is planned by RFI staff — Palermo Regional Infrastructure Operations Department — from 9 am to 5 pm on July 7. RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) is the state infrastructure manager responsible for maintaining, operating, and signalling Italy’s entire rail network. When RFI’s own maintenance staff in a specific region strike, the practical effect is that track maintenance and fault-response operations in that area are unavailable during the strike window. This does not immediately cancel trains — signals continue operating from existing infrastructure — but it means that if any infrastructure fault occurs on Sicily’s rail network between 09:00 and 17:00 today, response and repair times are significantly extended.
What this means on the ground in Sicily right now:
The Catania–Palermo rail connection (the primary ground transport link between Sicily’s two main cities) runs approximately 3 hours by InterCity train via the northern coastal route. This service uses RFI-managed infrastructure throughout. With RFI maintenance staff striking in the Palermo district today from 09:00–17:00, any infrastructure issue on the Palermo end of this route — a signal failure, a level crossing fault, a track defect — would take longer to resolve than usual, potentially extending the already-long Catania–Palermo journey.
The Catania Airport diversion context: Passengers whose flights were diverted to Palermo Airport and who are trying to reach Catania today face a transport corridor that is simultaneously:
Practical advice for Sicily-stranded travellers today: If you need to travel Catania–Palermo or Palermo–Catania today and are choosing between coach and train, note that the coach (Interbus or Flixbus) runs entirely on road infrastructure and is unaffected by either the Mercitalia or RFI strikes. On a day when rail infrastructure response is reduced in Sicily, the coach may be the more reliable option for this specific corridor.
The Leonardo Express — the dedicated non-stop rail link between Rome Termini and Fiumicino Airport — is a Trenitalia passenger service operated by dedicated rolling stock on a dedicated airport line. It is not directly affected by the Mercitalia freight strike, as it does not share infrastructure with freight operations in any meaningful way. The Leonardo Express should operate normally today.
Normal service: Every 15 minutes, 06:23–23:23, journey time 32 minutes. Tickets: €14 standard. Buy at Termini (Track 23/24), at the airport (Arrivals level), or via the Trenitalia app.
The Malpensa Express, operated by Trenord on the dedicated Malpensa rail line, is the primary rail connection between Milan Centrale and Milan Malpensa Airport. Trenord operates as a regional rail subsidiary in Lombardy and is structurally separate from Mercitalia’s freight operations, but shares infrastructure at some points with the broader Milan rail network — the busiest freight rail junction in Italy.
Assessment for today: Milan is Italy’s largest freight rail hub, and Mercitalia’s Shunting and Terminal staff are most densely concentrated in the Milan yards. The indirect risk to the Malpensa Express today is higher than on a normal operating day. Monitor live status via the Trenord app (trenord.it) before travelling.
Normal service: Trains run every 30 minutes from Milan Centrale and Cadorna. Journey time from Centrale: approximately 51 minutes to Terminal 2, 62 minutes to Terminal 1. Ticket: approximately €13.
Milan Linate: Linate is served by ATM bus connections (Line 73 from Piazza San Babila metro stop), not by rail. Unaffected by today’s rail action.
Naples airport is primarily served by the Alibus airport shuttle (bus) rather than a dedicated rail connection. The Circumvesuviana regional rail network serves the Bay of Naples and does not have a direct airport line. The Alibus bus service is entirely road-based and unaffected by today’s rail strikes.
For passengers connecting from Naples Centrale to the airport, the Alibus departs from outside Naples Centrale’s main exit approximately every 20 minutes. Journey time: approximately 15 minutes. Ticket: approximately €5.
Venice Marco Polo Airport is connected to Venice by the ATVO airport bus from Piazzale Roma and by the Alilaguna water bus service. The rail link from Venice Santa Lucia/Venezia Mestre does not connect directly to the airport — passengers use bus or boat connections. Neither is affected by today’s rail strike.
Florence Airport is connected to the city centre by the Vola in Bus shuttle service from Santa Maria Novella station. This is a road-based service, entirely unaffected by today’s rail action. The dedicated tramway tram-T2 line connecting Florence centre to the airport also operates normally.
Bologna’s Marconi Express is a people-mover system connecting Bologna Centrale station to Bologna Airport. It is not a Trenitalia or Mercitalia service — it is operated by Tper and uses dedicated infrastructure. It operates normally today.
If you want to avoid rail uncertainty today entirely, Italy has a robust road-based coach network:
FlixBus: flixbus.it — covers all major Italian city pairs with competitive fares, typically €15–40 for inter-city journeys. Fully road-based, unaffected by rail strikes.
Itabus: itabus.it — newer operator covering Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Turin, Bologna with modern coaches. Competitive fares.
Marino Bus: marinobus.it — established operator covering southern Italy and Sicily routes.
For Sicily specifically: Interbus (interbus.it) operates Catania–Palermo and other Sicily routes. The Catania–Palermo coach takes approximately 3.5–4 hours and runs several times daily from Catania’s central bus station at Via d’Amico.
If, despite today’s Mercitalia freight action not being a direct Trenitalia passenger strike, your Trenitalia service is nevertheless cancelled or significantly disrupted due to knock-on infrastructure effects, your rights are:
Full refund: If your train was cancelled, apply for compensation here: Refund Form. Please note refunds can take up to 6 months. For faster processing if you booked via ItaliaRail: Email strikehelp@italiarail.com to request a refund. We’ll process your refund quickly — usually within a few days.
Rebooking: Trenitalia will assist you with an alternative connection provided there are still trains available on that day to reach your final destination.
Guaranteed minimum services: For regional transport operated by Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper, and Trenord, essential services are guaranteed in the event of a strike on weekdays from 6:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00. These protected peak-hour trains operate even during direct passenger strikes — they also operate normally today since this is a freight action.
Trenitalia live status: viaggiatreno.it — enter your train number for real-time tracking.
Trenitalia refund form: trenitalia.com → In case of strike → Refund request
After a three-day lull, the protests are set to resume: a national strike by Italo’s operational and on-board staff, from 3 am on 9 July to 2 am on 10 July. This is the next direct passenger rail action to be aware of — Italo (NTV), the private high-speed rail operator, will have its own staff striking from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. If you are booked on an Italo Frecciarossa service between July 9 03:00 and July 10 02:00, monitor the Italo app from today.
Further into July:
Posted By : Vinay
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