Italy’s Basilicata region left without train services this August
The three major rail lines in the southern region of Basilicata were to be closed throughout August due to large-scale repair works in the middle of the summer tourist season.
Anyone wishing to travel by train in Basilicata will have to settle for bus services instead this month as all of the region’s major rail lines will be out of service, local authorities have confirmed.
The Potenza-Foggia and Potenza-Naples lines will shut for a month to allow for planned redevelopment works, whereas the Potenza-Metaponto route (which connects with the Metaponto-Taranto line) will be out of service until at least November after a landslide caused its closure in early June.
Trains on all three routes will reportedly be replaced by bus services, resulting in longer travel times and possibly far less comfortable journeys for passengers.
Basilicata “will reach the darkest point for over a hundred years: all three lines will be closed for a month," Luigi Di Tella, regional head of the Filt-Cgil union, told newspaper Repubblica.
Di Tella condemned the decision to carry out works “in the middle of the tourist boom” as opposed to during other months, saying the move will be a financial blow to the region.
READ ALSO: How to take Italy's new direct train between Rome and Pompeii
Basilicata’s regional president Vito Bardi said the area has “a significant infrastructural gap, the result of centuries-old delays and many mistakes and shortcomings in the past, with a slow railway line and single track on many sections."
Despite its beautiful landscapes and a variety of attractions, Basilicata is the second least-visited Italian region. Photo by Guseppe CACACE / AFP
Despite its beautiful landscapes and a variety of attractions, Basilicata is the second least-visited Italian region after Molise and has long figured among the poorest areas in the country.
The lack of adequate tourism and transport infrastructure is often cited as one of the main reasons behind its underperforming economy.
While at least two of the region’s main lines were expected to reopen in early September, passengers can expect further rail works to come.
Though Italy’s future handling of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funds is currently shrouded in uncertainty, the region should receive a considerable chunk of the EU aid package in order to improve the local railway network, including routes to Calabria and Puglia.
But PNRR-related works in the region haven’t started yet and are scheduled to be completed only by the first half of 2026.
Comments
See Also
Anyone wishing to travel by train in Basilicata will have to settle for bus services instead this month as all of the region’s major rail lines will be out of service, local authorities have confirmed.
The Potenza-Foggia and Potenza-Naples lines will shut for a month to allow for planned redevelopment works, whereas the Potenza-Metaponto route (which connects with the Metaponto-Taranto line) will be out of service until at least November after a landslide caused its closure in early June.
Trains on all three routes will reportedly be replaced by bus services, resulting in longer travel times and possibly far less comfortable journeys for passengers.
Basilicata “will reach the darkest point for over a hundred years: all three lines will be closed for a month," Luigi Di Tella, regional head of the Filt-Cgil union, told newspaper Repubblica.
Di Tella condemned the decision to carry out works “in the middle of the tourist boom” as opposed to during other months, saying the move will be a financial blow to the region.
READ ALSO: How to take Italy's new direct train between Rome and Pompeii
Basilicata’s regional president Vito Bardi said the area has “a significant infrastructural gap, the result of centuries-old delays and many mistakes and shortcomings in the past, with a slow railway line and single track on many sections."
Despite its beautiful landscapes and a variety of attractions, Basilicata is the second least-visited Italian region after Molise and has long figured among the poorest areas in the country.
The lack of adequate tourism and transport infrastructure is often cited as one of the main reasons behind its underperforming economy.
While at least two of the region’s main lines were expected to reopen in early September, passengers can expect further rail works to come.
Though Italy’s future handling of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funds is currently shrouded in uncertainty, the region should receive a considerable chunk of the EU aid package in order to improve the local railway network, including routes to Calabria and Puglia.
But PNRR-related works in the region haven’t started yet and are scheduled to be completed only by the first half of 2026.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.