Passengers across Italy were left without rail services after a freight train derailed near Florence in the early hours of the morning. There were no injuries, but the material consequences of the accident are great. More than 10 trains across the country were canceled due to the derailment, and rail chaos was reported from Milan, Rome, Bologna and Venice, among others.
A freight train on the line between Florence and Bologna derailed around two in the morning at Firenze Castello railway station. There were no injuries, but the accident caused significant material damage. Rail traffic across the country has been severely slowed. Trains are delayed for several hours, and more than 10 have been canceled, reports the Trieste newspaper Primorski dnevnik.
The reason for the train derailment is still being investigated. According to initial information, one of the carriages was said to have derailed and hit poles with electric cables for powering the trains, disrupting services on the entire railway network.
For now, it is not yet known exactly when the consequences of the derailment will be eliminated and rail traffic will be able to run normally again.
Italian rail company Trenitalia announced at least 50 cancellations and train delays of up to three hours, while some were diverted. “The goal is to restore services by early afternoon,” the Ministry of Infrastructure in Rome said in a statement.
