Unions demand greater safety on railway lines.

Railway workers in Italy will stage an eight-hour general strike on Thursday 30 November, from 09.00 to 17.00, to protest against Tuesday's fatal train crash in Calabria.

The nationwide protest, announced on Wednesday evening, will effect employees of Trenitalia and Italo, with strike details including a list of guaranteed services published on both companies' websites.

In a statement on its website Trenitalia said that a strike has also been called by the staff of FS Italiane, Italo and Trenord from 21.00 on Thursday to the same time the next evening.

On Nov 30, due to the national railway strike scheduled from 9AM to 5PM, connections to and from Fiumicino Airport may experience delays/cancellations. A 24-hour strike by personnel of the Italian FS Group, Italo, and Trenord is called from 9PM on Nov 30. https://t.co/PbZorvFVs4 pic.twitter.com/IXtO5I0oVK

— Aeroporti di Roma (@AeroportidiRoma) November 30, 2023

The strike action is set to lead to cancellations and delays, FS News warns, and may effect services scheduled before and after the strike.

Trade unions say the protest is to demand greater safety standards on Italy's railway infrastructure following the collision between a train and a truck at a level crossing in the Cosenza province.

An investigation is underway into the incident which is believed to have occurred after the truck became trapped on the tracks before being hit by the train travelling at around 130 km/h.

The collision resulted in the deaths of the train conductor, a 61-year-old Italian woman, and the truck driver, a 24-year-old Moroccan man.