FABRIZIO'S LETTER

[Dear Mrs Forti, 

In recent days I have read in your column some extremely critical readers' letters regarding the railway transport services provided by Trenitalia SpA. The criticism expressed by these unhappy travellers is generally directed at Trenitalia and, at times, at the train personnel but not, and it is difficult to understand why, at the various governments, political parties and unions, the very ones who so desperately sought the dismemberment of the independent "Azienda Autonoma Ferrovie dello Stato" (pre-privatization Italian state railway company -tr.), allowing such an essential public service as the railways fall victim to wild liberalization. Neither has criticism been directed at the numerous executives of the Company and the FS Group who calmly lord it over the situation.] I am a train conductor based at the Train Personnel Depot at the station of Genoa Principe and an elected FILT-CGIL union representative. I travel almost every day on the Genoa-Milan line, one of the lines most frequently subjected to criticism from passengers. The problems which have been spoken of are real and travellers have more than enough reason to complain. However, the train personnel are by no means indifferent to these problems. Every day we fight against the thousands of "causes for criticism", as the Company's inefficiency is euphemistically called, and all too often we must answer personally for these, at times even facing legal problems, all in splendid isolation. If trains still travel, albeit amid a thousand difficulties and under conditions which are often unbelievable, it is largely thanks to the train personnel who share the disquiet of the passengers and who take direct risks in order to continue ensuring even minimally a public, social service while others, who do not even deign to be seen or answer openly, actively work (thanks to privatization) towards the elimination of the right of mobility of millions of citizens. 

Over recent months, the train personnel of Genoa Principe have gone on strike twice in support of measures to ensure the primacy of safety in rail transport. We were demanding that the crew aboard all trains be provided with a working telephone and that the many tunnels in Liguria [the region around Genoa -tr.] be equipped in order to ensure communications between stations and trains, something which at present is not possible, with very few exceptions, except when trains are out in the open. During the negotiations, train executives replied that they did not believe mobile phones could guarantee safety! In my opinion, only extremely conscious, responsible workers who are in no way indifferent, can, as part of their demands, place prime importance on the safety of the people they are transporting.

I would like to suggest that your newspaper calls for a public meeting between a delegation of regular train commuters, representatives of the Genoa train workers (union delegates) and the regional managers of Trenitalia in order to clear up certain misunderstandings, put an end to useless arguments and inaugurate a period of useful relations in order to defend and improve public, social rail transport. 

With regards, 

Genoa, 18th August 2003

The part within brackets was not published.