Italy’s infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) confirmed at 13:30 that train movements on the Bologna–Piacenza high-capacity corridor had “returned to normal” following an early-morning grass fire near the tracks at Pontenure on 10 October 2026. Services were suspended for nearly four hours, affecting 18 Frecciarossa and Intercity trains and about 3,200 passengers. The incident occurred at kilometre point 73+400, close to a construction depot for the new ERTMS signalling system. Fire-fighters extinguished the blaze within 30 minutes, but engineers had to inspect signalling cables and overhead lines before giving the all-clear. Trenitalia offered ticket refunds or re-routing via Milan for passengers heading towards Turin and Venice, while Italo Treno provided complimentary lounge access and rebooking. Although no freight trains were directly delayed, logistics operators using the Piacenza freight village reported schedule slippages of up to five hours because locomotive crews exceeded maximum working time and had to be relieved. RFI said it would install additional thermal-camera sensors in the area to provide earlier alerts during the dry autumn period. Business travellers relying on the route should now encounter standard journey times, but rail planners advise checking apps for residual knock-on delays throughout the afternoon peak.
Source: RFI
