An alleged malfunction of the Milan
railway network's overhead line on Saturday morning paralyzed
traffic at Milan's Central Station with delays of up to 170
minutes and the cancellation of several trains.
The incident had major national repercussions with the temporary
suspension of services connecting Milan to Genoa, Venice and
Bologna.
Rail operator Trenitalia said the suspension started Saturday
morning at 7:50 am and that "technical inspections" were
underway" over a possible power fault.
Delays of up to 140 minutes were also registered at Rome's
Termini Station due to the fault in Milan which the technicians
of Italian rail agency Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) initially
attributed to a "malfunction of the electrical line".
Two trains allegedly caused the malfunction of the Milan railway
network.
Police said the malfunction was accidental and was not caused by
sabotage.
According to preliminary information, a high speed train at
Milan's Central Station, shortly after 7 am, damaged the
overhead line with its pantograph.
A train travelling on the same line created further damage, said
well-informed sources.
Meanwhile, rail company Trenitalia said it would fully reimburse
travellers who had to cancel their trips.
Trenitalia advised passengers to "avoid or limit" train travel
unless strictly necessary and to postponed departures, if
possible.
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