- Unknown arsonists damaged railway infrastructure near Bologna, Italy.
- The incident caused significant delays in connections, sometimes up to two hours.
- The sabotage occurred during the first day of the Winter Olympics in Italy.
Italian police reported on Saturday that unknown arsonists damaged the railway infrastructure near the northern Italian city of Bologna. Therefore, significant delays in connections are reported from several places. The potential sabotage occurred during the first day of the Winter Olympics, which are being held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. TASR informs about it based on a Reuters report.
The fire hit the switch and damaged electrical cables used to detect the train’s speed, causing delays of up to two hours on high-speed, intercity and regional services at one of Italy’s busiest rail hubs. The line between Bologna and Venice was affected, but problems are also reported on the section between Bologna and Milan and on routes to the Adriatic coast.
The fire was “probably started deliberately”, according to a police spokesman. So far, however, no one has come forward. The traffic police and anti-terror unit Digos have already arrived at the scene of the incident. Attacks on railway lines also occurred during the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024. At that time, traffic was significantly disrupted shortly before the opening ceremony.
