A History of Trains and Railway Workers

Changes in the railways at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Dear Luigi, when a century is about to end, ushering in a new millennium, events often occur that disrupt the normal course of things.

The final years of the 1900s, when Italian Lire still circulated, marked the maturity of my working life in the railways. Gradually, I rose through the ranks to become Depot Manager at the Locomotive Depot in Verona. One day, a new engineer arrived, selected directly from private industry by the management of the Ferrovie dello Stato (State Railways) in Rome. These engineers did not go through the usual public competitive examination but were headhunted for their management and organizational skills.

It was immediately clear that these unannounced arrivals would soon bring about epochal changes. The signal from Rome was political, likely negotiated with national union leaders. The directive was to modernize and drastically reduce staff in almost all sectors. Rolling stock maintenance was the first to suffer severe downsizing.

The new engineer, pragmatic and direct, stated that he was sent to change many things. In early meetings, he reminded the technical staff that in his previous corporate roles, he had implemented company directives by laying off thousands of workers and closing unprofitable sites.

Office life became frantic. He frequently called me in for operational data, loading me with responsibilities I did not think fell within my role. He began sending me to private railway maintenance workshops to negotiate contracts and manage asbestos removal from carriages, railcars, and locomotives.

Private contractors with external staff began arriving at the Verona Locomotive Depot. They often lacked adequate technical training, requiring close supervision, especially regarding safety. I was assigned a service mobile phone, which became a direct, 24/7 hotline to the engineer. Family life soon suffered, as I no longer returned home at regular times. I recall a Saturday evening in Sirmione with my family. Around 10 PM, the phone rang: “Ganzerla, where are you?” I replied that I was having dinner in a pizzeria with my family. He said bluntly: “You must go immediately to Desenzano station; they had to decouple a carriage from the Express train due to a suspected fire. Call me when you get there.”

I left my family and hurried to Desenzano. I found the carriage isolated on a siding, with firefighters monitoring smoke coming from the undercarriage. A braking system malfunction had caused the brake pads to remain stuck to the discs, overheating them and causing smoke. I arranged to isolate the brake and sent the carriage to the maintenance yard with a freight train, returning to my family after midnight.

Depots Closure and Personnel Downsizing

Luigi, I recount this episode to show how difficult it was for me and many colleagues to accept such sudden changes. It was clear that private operators would soon replace railway workers. Small locomotive depots, vital for quick repairs on secondary lines, began to close.

I was ordered to close the Mantua and Vicenza depots, which depended on Verona, and persuade the remaining staff to transfer. Some accepted; others negotiated early retirement packages with cash incentives. For many, commuting to Verona after working in their hometown for years was a hard choice.

By the early 2000s, special representatives approached employees offering early retirement packages matching their final salaries. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To be fair, everything was handled smoothly. The financial guarantees were higher than expected, and no one was laid off. Some used the incentives to pay off their mortgages, support their children at university, or buy a new car. Within a few years, railway staff rapidly declined.

We began to see new generation electric trains. The purchase packages included maintenance by the manufacturers, eliminating the need for many maintenance workers, track walkers, stationmasters, and inspectors.

Several stations along the lines were closed. Families living on the upper floors of stations had to relocate. Even the Austrian-era Desenzano station remained empty on the upper floors. The neoclassical station in Lonato was leased to the Municipality for use by the local Pro Loco association.

In 2025, the FS Group declared that it managed 17,000 kilometers of lines, 1,600 tunnels, 23,000 bridges, and 2,200 stations. Currently, 1,700 RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) stations are unstaffed. About 345 have been leased for free use to associations, municipalities, or local authorities.

Recently, DB (German Railways) announced the sale of about 200 carriages capable of 200 km/h, likely to end up in Eastern Europe. Soon, locomotive-hauled trains will disappear, replaced entirely by electric multiple units.

Since early June, test runs have been underway on the Brescia-Verona section of the TAV (High-Speed Train) with multiple daily round trips at 30 km/h.

Dear Luigi, the new railways have arrived!

Giancarlo Ganzerla