ROME, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Italy's deputy prime minister and transportation minister, Matteo Salvini, is under pressure to resign on Wednesday due to a series of significant delays plaguing the country's troubled railway system.
Delays across Italy have become alarmingly frequent, leading to passengers being stranded for hours while crews attempt to fix the latest issues on the tracks.
Today, delays were experienced on regional routes in central Italy and on intercity routes between Rome and Naples. Yesterday, an electrical fault at the capital's main train station halted operations for nearly an hour, causing extensive delays, while inclement weather disrupted services in the southern regions.
In an unusual show of consensus, all major opposition leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with Salvini's performance this week, and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centrist Italia Viva party has initiated a petition to pressure Salvini to step down.
"The national railway network is in a state of collapse. Every day, thousands of Italians endure unbearable delays, frequent breakdowns, canceled trains, and deteriorating travel conditions," the party declared.
Salvini has rejected the criticism, with his League party asserting that the rail system is suffering from years of insufficient investment.
Today, the state railway operator, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), suggested that its services might be under attack, noting that many of the most serious issues occur during peak hours, causing the greatest disruptions.
"Given another abnormal incident on the network and a series of highly suspicious circumstances, the FS Group has meticulously prepared a complaint that has been submitted to the appropriate authorities," they stated.
The far-right League endorsed the action, likely prompting a police inquiry, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party stood in support of Salvini against the mounting criticism.
"For some time now, Matteo Salvini has been subjected to a disparaging and untruthful campaign," said Galeazzo Bignami, a parliamentary leader of Brothers of Italy.
In addition to routine technical challenges, rail transportation has suffered from continued strikes over the past year, including one just last Friday, causing extensive delays though rarely halting all services.
Italy's rail network spans around 16,830 km (10,460 miles) of active lines as of 2023, accommodating over 800 million passengers annually.
The government aims to expand high-speed services to the southern regions and enhance operations in the north, particularly around the port city of Genoa.
(This story has been corrected to reflect the correct spelling of the train operator as Ferrovie, not Ferrovia, in paragraph 7).