As many as 1300 construction sites active daily, 272 thousand interruptions scheduled for 2026 and a total of 11.6 billion euros in investments. These are the numbers that Rete Ferroviaria Italiana presented in Rome on 11 May at the press conference Construction sites 2026: work progress and next steps. Numbers which, translated into practice, mean a rather busy summer on the railway network, and not in a good way.
It is the third consecutive summer of large-scale disruption, as Codacons reminded Sky TG24, which is asking for a proportional reduction in fares for the routes affected by the limitations. RFI prefers another perspective, focusing on the quality of the project. These are the words of Aldo Isi, CEO and General Director of RFI:
Right now we are working to improve the infrastructure, not in one place but everywhere. It is an unprecedented effort and for which I must thank my colleagues who are working every day to put these investments on the ground
The most critical case: Milan-Genoa
The longest and most impactful stop of the summer will concern the Milan-Genoa route. The extraordinary maintenance works on the bridge over the Po, between San Martino Cava and Bressana Bottarone, will extend from 3 June to 30 September. The acute phase will be between 20 July and 28 August, with complete interruption of the line, trains diverted via Piacenza-Voghera with estimated lengthenings of between 40 and 60 minutes. Before and after that window, circulation will take place on single track.
High speed: August the worst month
On the AV backbone the calendar will enter the hot phase in August, with three overlapping interruptions:
The other routes involved
Work will start in June on the Caserta-Foggia line (10-30 June), which serves the construction site of the new Naples-Bari high-speed train, with a replacement road service expected. On the Rome-Naples via Cassino, however, buses will replace trains from 6 to 23 August, for work on the Olmata tunnel. In July, two intervention windows will be added in the Florence hub, between Firenze Statuto and Firenze Campo di Marte (5-9 July and 26-30 July), with shuttle buses and diversions on the Tirrenica.
Good news for people heading to the South: the Adriatica, Tirrenica routes, the connections to Puglia and coastal Liguria will remain viable, as assured by RFI.
What to do before leaving
Preventive communication is part of the strategy, which is why we make room for greater information, both in stations and on digital channels, including the now inevitable social media campaigns. Regarding the topic, Giuseppe Inchingolo, Chief Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainability Officer of the FS Group, expressed himself as follows:
We have tried to build a relationship of trust with our passengers by starting to provide timely but also sincere information. Only by telling the truth, after a period of time, do you become a reliable interlocutor. We take many risks into account, focusing everything on credibility towards passengers.
The advice remains to check the updated timetables directly on Trenitalia through the scheduled works page, the section dedicated to interruptions and the mobility info bulletin, pages constantly updated in real time which also indicate any trips with replacement buses. For those who already have a ticket on an affected route, it is also worth checking the right to a refund in the event of a delay of more than 60 minutes.
From late June to July, disruptions will increase 115% compared to 2023, which RFI cites as evidence of the acceleration of construction, which passengers will experience firsthand.
