Train Strike May 19 - getting from CT to Venice

Here is a list of the Trenitalia trains that are guaranteed to run on strike days through June 8:

https://www.trenitalia.com/content/dam/tcom/allegati/trenitalia_2014/informazioni/TABELLA_A_Treni_garantiti_DPLH.pdf

Looks like they are all Intercity and Frecce trains, not Regionale.

Where in Cinque Terre are you starting from?

It looks like there are planned strikes every few days in May:

https://scioperi.mit.gov.it/mit2/public/scioperi

I have read that a lot of them are canceled, but you won’t know until later. I also recall reading that Italo, the private train company, is less affected by strikes. But they only run trains on the high-speed tracks, like from Florence to Venice.

We are staying in Riomaggiore in CT

We have a similar issue in the opposite direction - need to get from Florence to CT on 5/19, which is a Sunday. Info I have seen re 'guaranteed' trains seems to be weekday focused (presumably for commuters). Per our ABnB host, there should be trains running from La Spezia to/fr CT the day of the strike. I'm guessing b/c they are local trains and really the only decent way to get to CT. I have booked a Flixbus trip from Florence to La Spezia (only one per day it seems), then, hopefully (presuming my host is correct), jumping on the train to CT. If that fails, it's a taxi - or a night in La Spezia! (Neither preferable.) This is my backup plan. I also am not buying the train tix from FL to CT until I get to FL, possibly day of, or maybe before, to see if strike materializes. (Planning to contact Trenitalia via chat in early May to see what they know.) At any rate, if you can get to La Spezia, see if the private train co., Italo, is running from there to Venice. Or, use RometoRio to see what bus service could be offered. We'll be with you in spirit and solidarity!

Thank you for all the iinput. I think we are just going to end up hiring a private driver even though the cost is much more than I want to pay. The driver offered to make a 2-hour stop along the way for us in Verona, so it will be nice to see an additional city and not have to worry about dealing with the trains.

Hi all

I have same issue, we have trains booked on May 19 from Milan to Venice through train line (yes I should’ve bought through operator but I have used train line app for years) and getting conflicting info from them and on the Trenitalia website.
Will leave it for a week or so and see if it gets clearer near to the time. Hoping I can just get another train on the day or if not a bus to Venice. Any suggestions or advice appreciated

May 19 falls on a Sunday, and Sundays are the one day out of the week when there are no guaranteed Regionale ( local) trains that will run between 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm. There is an agreement between Trenitalia and the rail unions that even during strikes some Regionale trains will still operate from Monday-Saturday during those hours— in order for people to still get to work during the workweek. But Sundays in Italy are primarily days of rest at home with the family or the extended family. Few Italians work on Sunday and Sunday is not a day when there are any guaranteed Regionale trains ( local trains) that will be in operation.
If you have a ticket on a high-speed train ( I.e. Eurocity, Intercity, Frecciarosa or Italo trains to name a few) you should check to see if it still will run. About 70 percent of Trenitalia’s long-distance trains will be idle on May 19. There is an option during strikes to use your train ticket on long-distance trains with the same destination that are departing just before your ticketed train’s departure time and also on the train departing just after your train was scheduled to depart. Sounds great until you realize how many thousands of other passengers will be trying to do the same thing. To find out what your options are with Trenitalia, in the U.S. you can phone Trenitalia’s ticketing company, Italiarail, at 877 375-7245.
The private train company in Italy called Italotreno, or “Italo,” has its own policies during strikes. Italo only runs high-spreed trains between large cities in Italy. If you are holding train tickets with Italo and do not see your train listed as a “Guaranteed” train that will operate during the strike, you will need to contact Italotreno. Italo does allow its tickets to be changed to another train at either no cost for Flex fares, or for a 20 percent service fee on Economy tickets and 50 percent on Low Cost tickets.
If your Italo train does not operate during the strike, you will automatically receive a full refund credited back to the account to which your ticket was charged within 30 days.
Long distance buses between major Italian cities can be booked at www.BusBud.com

Thank you Kenko, extremely helpful information. I will call the number to see what they recommend.

My wife and I are in the same, figurative, boat. We will be in Florence May 16 and then were to leave May 19th to Manarola (via Pisa) in the CT. The national strike planned for May 19th throws that whole travel day into a huge problem because the trains to CT are regionale, and from what I saw are owned by the state (Trenitalia). As already posted, if you look at the "guaranteed trains" there are none/zero on Sundays because of the dates posted above: from 06:00 to 09:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00 Mon-Sat.

ItaliaRail

I've looked at the bus option like FlexiBus, but from what I could find on routes from Florence to La Spezia alone, there were only 1 or 2 buses running on May 19 and at terrible hours (like depart at 0200 or 1700'ish). I'm not getting on a bus at 2am to arrive in La Spezia at 6am. And if I choose the 1700 (5pm for us Americans) that gets into La Spezia around 1940 (7:40pm). Great, I'm partially to Manarola but if I wanted to use the ferry to the CT, last departure from La Spezia is 1520 (3:20pm) which is no where near late enough. So ferry from La Spezia really isn't an option.
CT ferry boat timetable

This leaves me with my final, ok maybe 2, option(s): rent a car or stay longer in Florence until strike is over. For me, I can only see the car rental as an option. The car rental will be pricey as I'm certainly not wasting my time returning it to the originating city, so they charge extra for being a one-way trip.

Then there's parking in Manarola, only 1 non-reservable parking spot outside the city and it's tiny, maybe 50 or so slots (sorry, I didn't count).

I guess there's one more option if I did make it to La Spezia at some off hour via bus service, take the Line 29 bus (from rome2rio website) or I guess a taxi.

Frustrated in Minnesota, but still looking forward to our 2 week trip to Italy.

I caved, reserved a Budget rental car from Florence to CT for day of the 19th. Actually for the money (trains tickets, etc), I might be better off as now I'll keep the car 2 nights and then drive from CT right to Como and drop it off there rather than worrying about trains, then transfer in Milan to Como, etc.

But what a mess it has made, I've spent hours, and more $ to go this route, but I refuse to be caught off-guard. Went and got my IDP today, should be all set as long as Budget has my car when I show up :-O

I can't imagine the panic if I hadn't known about the strike ahead of time. I still hope it's cancelled, but it no longer has me worried, Ciao!