24 Hour Transport Strike
For Italians hearing about a transport strike, they would ask "Where is the News?" Strikes like the current one have become part of the culture - a fact of life in Italy. Those on vacation in Italy would see things completely differently.
Paralyzes Rome
Public transport unions' strikes have paralyzed Rome. The strike kicked off at 0830 hours CET and is scheduled to last 24 hours. Strikes like this are unpredictable, sometimes they never actually happen and other times they end early.
The protest involves all of Rome’s public transport services including buses, trams, A and B metro lines, Cotral coaches and the Rome-Giardinetti and Rome-Civitacastellana-Viterbo light rail links.
According to Rome's transport authorities the majority of the Metro lines stopped running between 0830 - 0900 CET. Buses and trams were running on a looser schedule. Local transport strikes were suspended between 1700 and 2000 hours to ensure minimum
mandatory service. Union rallies kicked off at 0900
hours from Piazza della Repubblica heading for
Piazza SS Apostoli.Elsewhere in Italy
The rail strike in Venice was called off,
but the vaporettos (water buses) went on strike. The public sector
strikes occurred in Milan, Rome, Florence, Naples, Turin and Genova.
The 24-hour strike affected Actv water and bus transport, and the Hellovenezia ticketing and call center services. During the strike , buses ran in these time bands: 6.00 - 8.59 a.m.; 16.30 - 19.29. Essential water services also ran during the strike.
Airport handling staff were on strike 22 June at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Venice airports and many flights were cancelled. Passengers flying to/from these airports should expect delays and/or cancellations and should check with their airline before traveling. Other airports in Italy appeared to be unaffected.
Know Before You Go
The interesting thing about transport strikes in Italy, and other parts of Europe, is that they are generally pre-announced and follow strict guidelines. As you can see from above, transportation resumes between peak travel times and essential services are not impacted. That would be of little comfort to you as a visitor should you find yourself in need of transportation during the active strike hours, so it best to be aware of pending actions before you travel.
Here are some useful resources that can help:
In addition, consult your transportation carrier's website for latest information.
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