Rail strike postponed to Saturday 23 May.

A national train strike scheduled in Italy on Saturday 17 May has been called off, with railway workers postponing their protest by one week, trade unions said on Tuesday.

The decision to postpone the 23-hour protest was taken after a request from the strike watchdog, a government agency called the Commissione di Garanzia Sciopero.

The agency said the strike would have caused considerable disruption to travellers on the eve of the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, an event set to attract a quarter of a million faithful along with heads of state and government from around the world.

The transport ministry, which confirmed the news, also cited other major events happening in Italy this weekend, including the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome and the Grand Prix in Imola.

Differito lo #sciopero nazionale del #trasporto ferroviario, previsto per il 17 maggio 2025. I dettagli su https://t.co/0kJl3dp0Is pic.twitter.com/tfCmD1RANE

— Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (@mitgov_it) May 13, 2025

The strike, which is set to affect Trenitalia, Trenord and Italo services across Italy, is now to take place on Saturday 23 May from 01.00 until 23.59, according to the website of the USB trade union.

The USB and SGB unions are striking to demand the renewal of a national collective labour agreement in the rail sector.

More details are expected nearer the date of the strike on 23 May.

We update our news of transport strikes in Italy regularly. For official information about public transport strikes in Italy check the transport ministry website.