Train Strike October 12 to 13

If you find your train number listed in the document in the link below, it is supposed to run despite the strike. https://www.trenitalia.com/content/dam/tcom/allegati/trenitalia_2014/in_regione/treni-garantiti/Regionale%20Campania%20_sito.pdf
However, if you want to be really safe, you might consider taking a train before 9 pm on Oct 12 as the strike is planned to begin at 9 pm on Oct 12 and end at 8:59 pm on Oct 13.

If it were my trip I would travel on Oct 12. There are so many confusing posts about that strike and which trains will run, it is hard to know what to believe.

The point is that workers are not bound to notify in advance if they will strike, and employers cannot ask.

So every time somebody asks in this area if trains are due to strike, the reply is the same: guaranteed trains are going to run; trains that are not guaranteed will run if possible, and the possibility will be evaluated by railway dispatchers on the spot.

According to the union and kind of strike it could be guessed if the strike won't be much relevant or could bring everything to a standstill, but this will be a guess at most. If you ask for certain information, you are actually asking for things nobody can tell for certain.

I also would add that due to increased number of travellers, the number of high speed trains has been increased, close to railway capacity, and a small inconvenience can easily escalate to long delays as the system is close to be overworked, even if no strikes are involved. The main Torino-Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples itinerary is duplicated by slower lines that are used in emergency cases or temporary failures of the high speed tracks like a stuck train; but in no way the exact schedule can be observed on slower tracks. A few days ago, a relatively small fault in a signaling cabin at Roma Termini paralyzed the national high speed system for a full day.

So, while railway travel is easy and convenient, it is not 100% reliable. For example, I often do trips from Florence to Milan for business or medical reasons; if the train get stopped, I may miss the meeting, it is a nuisance but not a tragedy as I can easily reprogram another one. But when you are spending a lot on an intercontinental travel or attending a family event, it may be clever to travel the preceding day and put a 24 hours safety buffer on the expensive or irreplaceable event.

I have tickets for that same day too. Is there a bus alternative in the worst case? I guess there is car rental.

Many cities seem to have car rental offices closed on Sunday or close early at 1 pm.

For intercity buses in Italy: www.Itabus.it/en
www.flixbus.com

When will they announce which trains are cancelled?

Trenitalia management will only know what trains can run after learning how many rail workers have showed up for work on the day of the strike. Other than any “ guaranteed trains” that are scheduled to run during strikes—, it’s only on the actual day of the strike that a determination can be made on what trains are to be cancelled.
In some regions, only 25 percent of rail workers have gone on strike. That means many more trains can run as scheduled compared to what will happen if 50 percent of rail workers strike.
For anyone who absolutely needs to be in a particular Italian city— as in the case of making their international flight home— the smart thing to do is travel the day BEFORE the strike or buy a bus ticket on Itabus or Flixbus. Both bus companies are exempt from strikes.
This eliminates all the personal uncertainty that occurs on strike day.

Sigh. We were planning on traveling from SMN to Salerno on October 13th as well. We booked refundable tickets for the 12th at 18:14 in case they strike but will use our nonrefundable tickets on the 13th if it is called off. I don’t know how likely that is. Anyone got a clue? But now we need to book another night in a hotel as our current accommodations is already booked. Ahhhh….all part of the adventure!

I was able to sweet talk a young lady at a Trenitalia office into changing my non-refundable high speed train tickets from Sunday to Monday for a fee of 13 euros each.

Today, I was talking to someone in a tourist office in a different city and she said the strike has been adverted.

I already cancelled my other hotel, booked a non-refundable one for Sunday night, and am now wasting a day in a city I don't need to be in. I have written a heart felt plea to the hotel to give me a partial credit since all this mayhem was the fault of the rail strike and not any kind of unstable decision making on my part.

All part of the fun of international travel. At least its not as bad as France.

At this hour in Italy, Trenitalia, Italiarail, Italotreno and Trenord
all confirm the strike of October 12 & 13.

So Railrider need have no regrets about changing their plans. Not a wasted day after all. Whatever city they are in I am sure there is something worth seeing or doing.

I hope the OP and others made the same choice, traveling before or after the strike.

Well I went back to the tourist office the next day, and a different young lady told me the strike was still on. Luckily I didn't hear that, and was able to take my train the next day. Then a few days ago, I saw that there was talk of another strike.

I understand that everyone wants to make more money, but why victimize random tourists who may be on their only trip to your country? Perhaps the train companies are raising rates and not sharing that. I priced out a few train trips though france and was shocked. For example Barcelona to Amsterdam and back was like $500. I guess its time to buy some big jackets and have a seamstress sew in extra pockets, then take Ryan air with all your stuff packed into your parka.

We ended up returning to a nice town we just left (and have visited many times before) so it was good in that way. But then 3 days in Tuscany and renting a car got whittled down to 2 days, and we ended up not renting the car and just hanging out in one city mainly.

Italy is the only EU country where wages are lower, in real purchase terms, than they were 10 or 15 or 30 years ago. I would expect general agitation to increase.