Italy rail strike on 20–21 November: what runs and refunds

Italy faces a national rail strike from 21:00 on Friday 20 November to 20:00 on Saturday 21 November, covering staff of the FS group, Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper and Trenord. Trenitalia says trains may be changed or cancelled, while some long-distance services and peak-hour regional trains are guaranteed.

Trenitalia published the strike notice on its Infomobilità page on 13 November. The 23-hour action applies across all Italian regions, from Alto Adige to Sicily.

What still runs

Trenitalia lists two kinds of guaranteed service. Long-distance trains that appear on its list of guaranteed services will run. For regional transport, essential services are guaranteed on working days between 06:00 and 09:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00.

The lists of guaranteed trains are in Trenitalia's official timetable and on trenitalia.com. Trenord publishes its own list for Lombardy, and Trenitalia Tper does the same for Emilia-Romagna. Trenitalia also warns that the action can affect services before the official start and after it ends, so trains on Friday evening and on Saturday night may be hit too.

Refunds and rebooking

Passengers who decide not to travel can claim a refund from the moment the strike was declared. For Intercity and Frecce trains, the deadline is the departure time of the booked train. For regional trains, it is midnight on the day before the strike. As an alternative, Trenitalia offers to rebook the journey on similar conditions as soon as possible, depending on seat availability.

For visitors, the practical advice is to check the guaranteed list before Friday. A Frecciarossa that is not on the list may still run, but it is not protected. Regional trains outside the two guaranteed windows carry the highest risk, especially on Saturday morning after 09:00.

It is not the only disruption this month. Spain has rail strikes planned on 17, 19 and 23 November, covered in our Spain train strikes guide, and all known dates are listed on our November train strikes page.

Sources: Trenitalia, Infomobilità, "Dalle ore 21:00 di venerdì 20 alle ore 20:00 di sabato 21 novembre: sciopero nazionale del personale del Gruppo FS, Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper e Trenord", 13 November 2026, accessed 13 November 2026.

Photo: a departures board in Milan (2011) — John Seb Barber, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited, and reviewed by the TrainsNews editorial team before publication.