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Questions on Italian Guaranteed trains during strikes

My husband and I are going on the RS South Italy tour in June. The day the tour ends we will take the train from Naples to Florence. A few days later the train from Florence to Rome. I want to purchase the tix now due to probable increased demand for the trains because of potential jet fuel problems for intra-European flights.

I found the list of guaranteed trains in case of a strike on Trenitalia’s website but it only goes thru June 13. My day at issue is June 20. Does anyone have any insight on whether the guaranteed trains are usually the same.? Or when the list beyond June 13 will be published? The trains in question will be FR not regional trains.

Thanks for any info

Posted by
3911 posts

Yes- the list of guaranteed trains during strikes is usually the same. If you can buy the tix for the trains appearing on the current “Guaranteed Trains” list—then I would buy them. Trenitalia normally has to wait until the European train timetables are officially released on June 14 before it will sell tickets on its website.

You may find you can buy them now if you check www.TheTrainline.com. This is a company Trenitalia contracts with to sell its tickets.

The private high-speed train company in Italy running trains everywhere you need is called “Italotreno.” It has its own high-speed “italo” trains that compare well to the Frecciarosa trains of Trenitalia. the national train company of Italy, Italotreno will have its own tickets on sale now for June and beyond at www.Italotreno.com
Italotreno will also be a target of the June 19/20 strike and, like Trenitalia has its own list of “Guaranteed Trsins.” The problem is that Italotreno changes its list and lists guaranteed trains less than a month before a strike happens,

There are 24-hour nationwide train strikes throughout Italy now scheduled to begin on June 5, 12 and 19. Because they all fall on Fridays, the likelihood is very high that they will occur. The June 19/20 strike begins at 9pm on June 19 That means trains will get you to your destination providing the arrival time is by 9pm on June 19.

That said, a couple workarounds are to book an intercity bus to your cities. Two sites to check are Itabus and Flixbus. You also could overnight in Naples and delay your train day to June 21.

Posted by
99 posts

Thanks for the info, kenko. Where did you find the strike date info? I did not know there is a strike scheduled, just making plans just in case.

Am I right that a guaranteed train will go, strike or no strike on Saturday, June 20 ?

Thanks

Posted by
17761 posts

June 20 is a Saturday. Italian labor unions schedule their strikes on Fridays and Mondays to ensure maximum participation (Italians like long weekends and they go on strike only if they can also get a long weekends and as a bonus). So your June 20 travel day is safe.

  • Trenitalia is selling tickets for trains running up to November 30: https://i.postimg.cc/TwYKj5cj/Immagine-2026-04-25-102955.jpg

  • Trenitalia doesn't contract anything special to re-sellers like theTrainline. Just like you, me and the small travel agency down the road, Trainline can access Trenitalia's DB and resell tickets. At a cost. When resellers offer tickets for trains not uploaded yet on trenitalia.com , they are basically scamming their customers. A committment to buy on someone's behalf is not a ticket.

  • When a train transfer is required, always check if the reseller can guarantee a protected connection like Trenitalia and Italotreno

  • Italo's workers have joined 2 strikes in 20 years. Nobody's actually interested in Italotreno's list.

  • Strikes called by small Unions rarely stop Trenitalia's high speed trains.

  • Sorry, but There are no strikes on June 5, 12 and 19: https://i.postimg.cc/BZ2v8g3y/Immagine-2026-04-25-103440.jpg

  • Railway Strikes happen of fridays, when schools are open, to create as many disruptions as possible. The day of the week has no effect on the ongoing negotiations. Unlike any other Union, when Transport Unions want to strike they must give a 10-days advance notice to let customers find alternatives. This doesn't mean they will actually strike, the mandatory notification has turned into a "gun on the table" during labour negotiations. When strikes are notified weeks in advance, they are less likely to happen.

  • The Government can block a notified strike. It happens very rarely, but it happens.

  • There is no strike planned on June 19/20

Posted by
24117 posts

Personally I think you are over thinking the strike business. Many are scheduled but few strikes happen. In nearly a year of travel in Europe over the past 40 years we have encountered only one strike. We shifted to the buses that day. I doubt if the jet fuel problem will even affect the trains. You are looking at relatively short travel distances so the time difference between FR and regional trains is small and not a major concern for us.

Posted by
99 posts

Thanks for the useful insights. I will book the guaranteed trains on the current list and hope they are the same when the list for June 14 and beyond is posted by Trenitalia. Hopefully, no strike will materialize but I prefer to be on the safer side.