Italy General Strike Hits Trains, Airport Links Dec 12, 2025

Published on Dec 12, 2025, 10:34 am CSTUpdated on Dec 12, 2025, 10:37 am CST

7 min read

Key points

Italy general strike trains face cancellations and changes from 12:01 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time on December 12, 2025
Trenitalia and Italo have published guaranteed train lists, and Trenord warns airport rail links may thin or switch to buses
Most flight schedules are not formally part of this strike, but airport access via rail and city transit can break same day plans
Biggest pinch points are major stations and airport rail links in Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, and Florence
Travelers should shift departures earlier, avoid tight rail to flight transfers, and hold a bus or car backup for critical legs

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the worst disruption at major hubs like Roma Termini, Milano Centrale, Napoli Centrale, Torino Porta Nuova, and Firenze Santa Maria Novella, plus airport rail links
Best Times To Travel: If you must travel on December 12, target guaranteed trains and plan around peak commuting bands where operators concentrate minimum service
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Avoid separate ticket rail to flight connections under three hours, especially to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) via airport trains
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check your specific train number in the operator app, rebook to December 11 or December 13 if possible, and line up a coach or car alternative before stations get crowded
Onward Travel And Changes: Plan for crowding, longer taxi times, and slower last mile transit, and carry essentials in your day bag in case you get stranded mid route

Italy general strike trains are disrupting travel across Italy on December 12, 2025, with rail cancellations, reduced capacity, and knock on crowding at major stations and airport rail links. Travelers moving between Rome, Italy, Milan, Italy, Naples, Italy, Turin, Italy, and Florence, Italy are most exposed, especially anyone relying on high speed rail, regional connections, or rail links into airports. The practical play today is to move critical trips to December 11 or December 13 when you can, or to target guaranteed services, add buffer time, and keep a coach or car backup for time sensitive legs.

The Italy general strike trains alert matters because the official rail strike window runs from 12:01 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time on December 12, 2025, and it can also ripple into the first and last departures around that window.

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) flags a national rail strike covering FS Group staff plus Italo and Trenord, and it warns that service changes can occur even before the strike begins and after it ends. Trenitalia has issued the same time window and points travelers to its minimum service and guaranteed train lists for medium and long distance routes. Italo has also published a strike advisory and a guaranteed train list for December 12.

What "Minimum Service" Looks Like In Italy

How It Works: In Italy, strikes in essential transport sectors operate under rules that require "prestazioni indispensabili," meaning a minimum level of service must still run. In practice, that usually means a short list of guaranteed long distance trains, plus limited protected timebands where operators try to keep commuter critical service moving, even though many other departures are canceled or retimed. The only reliable way to plan is by train number, using each operator's guaranteed list and live status tools, because the route alone is not a promise that a departure will run.

For rail on December 12, the guaranteed layer is split by operator. Trenitalia's strike page points to guaranteed long distance trains and outlines how services may be changed or canceled during the 1201 a.m. to 900 p.m. window. Italo similarly tells travelers to expect variations or cancellations and publishes a guaranteed list for the day. Regional and suburban patterns can differ by region, so a train that looks like a "commuter" option on a map may still disappear from the timetable at short notice.

Flights Versus Airport Access, What Changes Today

A key nuance for travelers is that "general strike" headlines often sound like flights will stop, but the transport impact is uneven by sector. Italy's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike calendar and CGIL materials emphasize rail timing, and they also note that air transport is excluded from this particular general strike action. That said, airport trips can still break if you were counting on trains, city metros, buses, or airport rail links to make a departure bank. If any airport labor action overlaps a future date, Italy's aviation strike rules protect flights in two "tutela" windows, 700 a.m. to 1000 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m., but that is a separate mechanism from today's rail disruption.

For December 12 specifically, the biggest airport risk for most passengers is getting to the terminal on time, not an airline cancellation wave. Plan ground access like it is a disruption day, even if your flight itself still shows as on time.

City By City, Where The Pain Concentrates

Rome, Italy: The rail strike is the primary issue, so expect pressure at Roma Termini and along the airport rail corridor. If you planned to use the Leonardo Express or other rail links to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO), treat them as at risk inside the strike window, and shift to a taxi, a private transfer, or an earlier guaranteed train when the timing is tight. Local Rome public transport is a special case today because ATAC is listed as excluded from this strike, but road disruption around demonstrations can still slow surface trips and airport transfers.

Milan, Italy: Milan is a classic "double squeeze" day because the city is a national rail hub and a rail gateway to airports. If you are using Milan airport trains, verify the specific service and have a backup. Trenord's strike notice warns that services can be affected, including airport oriented lines, and it also points travelers to replacement buses on certain Malpensa link patterns when trains are thinned. For Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Milan Linate Airport (LIN) itineraries, build extra time for station crowds and for last mile transit, and avoid relying on a single tight connection at Milano Centrale.

Naples, Italy: Naples travel tends to fail at the "last mile" first, meaning local gaps can make an otherwise workable intercity plan collapse. If you are arriving on a long distance train and then connecting onward by local metro or bus, assume longer waits and consider a taxi buffer, especially for transfers tied to Naples International Airport (NAP). National reporting on the CGIL strike describes widespread transport disruption, with rail taking the hardest hit, which is consistent with how Naples connections can cascade when regional services thin.

Turin, Italy: Turin's urban transport operator notes service is not guaranteed outside protected windows during the day. That means if you are moving between Torino Porta Nuova and Turin Airport, Caselle (TRN) using a chain of local services, you should treat midday travel as the most fragile, and keep a rideshare or taxi fallback ready.

Florence, Italy: Florence is a frequent rally destination on national strike days, and it is also a high share day trip city where travelers tend to plan very tight rail moves. CGIL's strike communications highlight Florence as a focal point for mobilization, and that can compound central area congestion. In Tuscany, Autolinee Toscane has published minimum service guidance for its network, so if you are relying on buses to reach Firenze Santa Maria Novella or to connect to the airport, plan around the operator's protected bands and assume gaps outside them.

Practical Reroute Advice For December 12

Start by deciding whether you can move the trip. If your itinerary includes a must make event, a cruise boarding, or a long haul flight, shifting the Italy leg to December 11 or December 13 is usually the cleanest fix, because it eliminates both the strike window and the station crowding that lingers after it.

If you must travel today, plan by train number, not by route. Use Trenitalia's guaranteed service guidance and Italo's guaranteed list to pick departures that are explicitly protected, then build slack around them. If your chosen train disappears or is heavily retimed, pivot early, because the longer you wait, the more crowded the remaining departures and station services tend to get.

For airport connections, treat rail links as optional, not assumed. For Rome and Milan in particular, a rail to flight plan that works on a normal day can fail quickly when one segment is canceled. If you cannot move the flight, pre price a taxi, a private transfer, or a coach alternative before you head to the station.

Coaches can be a pressure valve on strike days. Long distance operators may not be comfortable, but they can rescue a same day city pair like Milan to Florence or Rome to Naples if rail capacity collapses. The tradeoff is slower trip time and higher road congestion risk, so the right use case is time certainty, not speed.

Finally, keep your essentials with you. Strikes are when baggage left in overhead racks and non refundable hotel nights get expensive, so carry chargers, medication, and a spare layer in a day bag, and avoid checking anything critical if you are chaining rail and air.