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In Italy, train leaves early to arrive on time

2024-11-12
ROME: Passengers of an Italian high-speed train were left stranded last week after it departed almost one hour early so it could arrive on time, the train operator acknowledged on Monday.

Rome`s Termini station had been full of travellers last Friday anxious about the effect of a national transport strike which stopped local buses, trams and the subway.

Thankfully, Trenitalia`s high-speed `Silver Arrow` to Genoa, in northwest Italy, was operating, scheduled to leave at 4:20pm. But when it was time to board, several passengers searched in vain for the train on the departure board only to discover it had left at 3.30pm. The train had to take a slower route due to maintenance on the usual line, the railway operator explained. But to arrive on time, this meant leaving 50 minutes earlier.

A journalist from the La Stampa daily was one of the passengers who failed to received a message on their mobile phones alerting them to the timetable change.

The newspaper reported the train had left the station half empty.

Trenitalia insisted only a `small number` of passengers did not receive the alert.-AFPROME: Passengers of an Italian high-speed train were left stranded last week after it departed almost one hour early so it could arrive on time, the train operator acknowledged on Monday.

Rome`s Termini station had been full of travellers last Friday anxious about the effect of a national transport strike which stopped local buses, trams and the subway.

Thankfully, Trenitalia`s high-speed `Silver Arrow` to Genoa, in northwest Italy, was operating, scheduled to leave at 4:20pm. But when it was time to board, several passengers searched in vain for the train on the departure board only to discover it had left at 3.30pm. The train had to take a slower route due to maintenance on the usual line, the railway operator explained. But to arrive on time, this meant leaving 50 minutes earlier.

A journalist from the La Stampa daily was one of the passengers who failed to received a message on their mobile phones alerting them to the timetable change.

The newspaper reported the train had left the station half empty.

Trenitalia insisted only a `small number` of passengers did not receive the alert.-AFP