Italy Split in Half as Fire Incident Halts High Speed Trains

(Bloomberg) -- Arsonists started a fire at a station near Florence, completely shutting down high speed railway services between the north and south of Italy, according to the rail network operator.

Electrical equipment was set ablaze, stopping service to and from the capital Rome. Trains were suspended for about three hours to allow checks by investigators and technicians, network manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana said in a statement on Monday. Service resumed before 8 a.m., with the average delay running about three hours by about 11 a.m.

Traffic on regional lines in the main metropolitan hubs near Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan was also slower due to the incident, the company said. Hour-long delays may extend into the afternoon after 25 high-speed trains from both state railway Trenitalia SpA and its private competitor, Italo Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori SpA, were canceled, Rete Ferroviaria added.

At least three different fires were started in the station of Rovezzano, near Florence, according to news agency Ansa. Service was slowing returning normal by late morning in Italy.

Further disruption to transportation in Italy is expected later in the week, with planned strikes on Wednesday affecting both the national railways and the local bus and metro services in all cities, as well as a four-hour strike for the airline services only on Friday. Air traffic controllers will work normally during the strike, Enav SpA said.

--With assistance from Alessandro Speciale.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lorenzo Totaro in Rome at ltotaro@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Ross Larsen, Chiara Albanese

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