Salvini: "Worrying escalation of actions against the railway network"

For years the Italian railway network “has been the subject of attacks”, a “worrying escalation”. Add to this that over 1,200 construction sites are currently active, including those of the Pnrr, which have “impacts on traffic”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini in his urgent briefing in the Chamber provides some details contained in the complaint presented by FS to request investigations into the faults which in recent months have led to cancellations, delays and disservices on most of the network railway. A detailed list of circumstances including break-ins, arson, damage to the power line, claims of some actions via the web by anarchist fringes.

After the days of passion for rail transport experienced in recent weeks – including breakdowns and damage from bad weather, with delays of hours – for days the opposition had been calling for Salvini’s intervention in the Chamber, at the same time asking for his resignation as Minister of Transport. A request reiterated by various groups after the information. “Today she comes here to read a complaint to remind us that the railways have apologised. But when does she apologize and when does Giorgia Meloni apologise?”, asks the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein. Who then comments: “Meloni travels far and wide around the world, it seems she is the only Italian who manages to travel without problems”. While Angelo Bonelli of Avs insists: “You disappeared from Parliament for a few weeks while Italy was suffering from dramatic delays. They wanted to build a fairly ridiculous alibi in front of the country to come and say that Italy is on its knees because a chain dangles from a railway line. Apologize and resign.”

The reference is to the discovery in recent days in Montagnana, in the province of Padua, of an old bicycle chain thrown onto the overhead line above the second platform of the station.
Previously Salvini had stated: “A large country like Italy cannot and will never be intimidated, I say this because the railway network has been the subject of attacks for years”. Then the deputy prime minister goes into detail: “On 28 November 2024 in the registered office of Italferr – a company of the FS Group – some individuals unlawfully entered the company area intended for open parking, causing the fire of 17 vehicles. On December 3, 2024, the arson attack was claimed on some blogs managed by anarchist-insurrectionist fringes.” According to Salvini: “From then on we witnessed a worrying escalation that we never wanted to highlight out of a sense of responsibility and while waiting to collect more precise information also in light of the investigations and complaints”.

The deputy prime minister recalls: “We have more than 1,200 construction sites across the entire network, of unprecedented complexity and value. Around 700 are for new works and the remainder for network maintenance activities. All these construction sites have an impact on traffic”.

Then he claims: “In 2024, official data, high-speed trains had a punctuality of almost 75%. If this is the crux of the controversy, I would like to point out that in recent years the worst results refer to 2018, when the ministers of Infrastructure and Transport were first from the Democratic Party and then from the 5 Star Movement (68.8% punctuality) and in 2020, minister of the Democratic Party and 70% punctuality”.

Antonio Iaria of the M5s replies: “The conspiracy theory is typical of this government. Now you want to tell us that the problems are a nail, a chain dangling from a cable, that someone disconnects a cable and blocks all the Italian railways. I am shocked that a minister comes to the Chamber to talk about these things. You have dealt with something else, the users have paid for it.”

Riccardo Molinari, leader of the League, replies from the majority: “The doubt arises that behind these acts there is some bad master. Faced with the risk of subversion, we, here, should all unite in condemning these acts and not try to make a sinister speculation politics at the expense of commuters thinking of getting two more votes.”
At the end of his information Salvini, without mentioning the word resignation, points out: “As the Open Arms process demonstrates, I have broad shoulders and I don’t stop if I think I’m in the right and I’m working for the good of Italy and Italians “.