The same message appears on the various rail companies' online booking sites: trains cancelled between France and Italy. The situation is critical for road and rail traffic between the two countries.
With the torrential rain in the Alps, a landslide occurred on Sunday in the Alps. Maurienne Valley in Savoie. And it turned out to be bigger than expected. Around ten thousand cubic metres of rock fell onto the road and railway.
As a result, the A43 motorway is due to reopen on Friday 31 August, rail traffic is likely to be disrupted for a period that could last several weeks. The SNCF, which had initially given an estimate for the reopening of the line on 31 August, is no longer putting forward any date.
3 daily round-trip SNCF TGV trains will be allocated to this service and 8 return TER services. The two return Frecciarossa trips offered by Trenitalia are now provisional terminus Chambéry.
Prices soar on the Paris-Milan route
Apart from thefts, thehe only alternatives are via Nice/Ventimiglia or via Zurich. With skyrocketing prices and journey times. A Paris-Milan flight via Zurich was selling online for more than 200 euros one way. And the journey takes more than eight hours...
This disaster occurred at a time when several rail links were suffering from problems. The accident in the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland extends train journeys by 60 minutesconvoys being forced to take the scenic route. This situation is expected to continue until at least the end of September.
Buses are also replacing Eurocity trains on the Simplon line between Domodossola and Milan until 10 September.. This is due to work being carried out on the Italian rail network. Journey times have been extended by around two hours on this route.
The situation is also difficult on the Brenner Pass line (Brennerbahn). One of the most important rail links in Europe, linking Italy to Germany via Austria, is experiencing major delays due to the rain. With train regularity severely affected...
