Italian authorities have reported three incidents of sabotage on railway tracks in different locations as the country prepares to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, disrupting train services.
This was reported by Reuters, citing the Ministry of Transport and the police.
According to law enforcement, a switchboard was set on fire near the city of Pesaro on the morning of February 7. A few hours later, severed electrical cables were found in Bologna, and explosives were found nearby. All of these incidents caused delays of up to 2.5 hours for high-speed, intercity and regional services.
Police said no one had yet claimed responsibility for the incidents, which were likely linked. Italy's state-run railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) said the Bologna station had been temporarily closed.
The Ministry of Transport, in turn, called it an “act of sabotage,” noting that it was reminiscent of the opening day of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, when sabotage on the railway paralyzed travel to Paris from other French cities and Europe.
Bologna is a key hub on Italian railway lines, connecting the south of the country with northern cities, including the Olympic capital Milan.
Anti-Olympic protests in Milan
On February 7, a protest against the environmental impact of the event took place in Milan, the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The initially peaceful demonstration drew about 10,000 people, who expressed their disagreement with the environmental impact of the construction of Olympic venues and the economic and social impact of the Games. Then, demonstrators began throwing firecrackers at police, who responded with water cannons and tear gas.
Commenting on the protests in Milan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni expressed solidarity with law enforcement officers and called the protesters “enemies.”