From 21:00 on 27 February until 20:59 on 28 February, unions CUB Trasporti and SGB staged a 24-hour strike across Italy’s rail sector, joined by ground-handling staff at Milan Malpensa and Linate after an earlier 26 February aviation walk-out. Trenord’s official notice warned passengers that regional, suburban, long-distance and Malpensa Express services could be cancelled outside the legally-protected ‘guarantee bands’. Nationwide media later confirmed the cancellation of at least two Frecciarossa high-speed services and extensive knock-on delays. PMI.it estimated that the combined rail-and-air action disrupted more than 280,000 traveller journeys and cost businesses €42 million in lost productivity and re-ticketing. HR departments scrambled to reroute mobile employees via coaches and car-shares; many international connections through Malpensa were missed despite airlines’ ‘no-penalty rebooking’ offers. The strike highlights persistent labour unrest ahead of the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, with unions accusing the government of back-tracking on promised staffing levels for the new digital traffic-management system. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called the timing “irresponsible,” citing Olympic-test-event logistics this spring. For mobility managers the key takeaway is to lock in contingency tickets on guarantee-band trains and to pay close attention to the growing trend of regionalised ‘rolling strikes’ that target Friday and Monday peaks. Experts recommend incorporating real-time rail APIs into traveller-tracking dashboards so that rerouting can occur before employees reach the station.
Source: Trenord & PMI.it
