Travellers confronted chaos this week after landslides closed rail and highway links between Italy, France and Austria.

On Monday (28 August), thunderstorms led to landslides which shut down key rail and street corridors between the countries.

seven-hundred cubic metres of rocks tumbled down the mountain, bursting by way of a security barrier and littering prepare tracks.

All TGV and TrenItalia providers working on the Chambéry-Turin line have been cancelled between Monday and Wednesday, and disruption is still ongoing.

On Thursday, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune indicated that Franco-Italian rail link might be out of action for no less than two months.

This is not the primary time a major geological event has disrupted rail site visitors on the France-Italy line. In 2019, a mudslide stopped traffic for three weeks.

Which practice traces and roads are closed?

French prepare operator SNCF said on Monday that prepare site visitors could be interrupted until further notice between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Modane. Trains between France and Italy are still working by way of Nice or Switzerland.

Regional TER trains in the Maurienne Valley have also been disrupted. For TER trains, the terminus is now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and for TER coaches, the last cease is Saint-Michel-Valloire.

Frecciarossia – excessive pace trains run by Trenitalia – between Saint-Michel-Valloire and Mondane have also been disrupted for several days.

The Frejus tunnel remains closed to vehicles and trains and the Brenner tunnel to rail traffic. The Frejus tunnel will probably reopen to trucks in every week or so.

What compensation am I entitled to if my train was cancelled?

The landslide falls underneath ‘extraordinary circumstances’ – an event that the company couldn’t foresee or management.

This means they’re exempt from paying the identical old amount of compensation (25 per cent of their ticket value for delays of over an hour and 50 per cent for more than two hours delay in most circumstances.)

However, you still have rights in case your travel has been disrupted – together with the entitlement to a full refund. The EU rules are as follows:

“If you’re delayed as a result of a cancelled prepare, that means you’d arrive at your final vacation spot with a delay of greater than 60 minutes, you’ve the proper to choose between:

A refund of your ticket inside 30 days – this can be a full or partial refund (covering the a part of the journey not made), and a return journey to your initial point of departure, if, the delay because of the cancelled practice prevents you from fulfilling the aim of your trip, or

Continuing or re-routing your journey underneath comparable circumstances to reach your final vacation spot at the earliest alternative, at no further value, or

Continuing or re-routing your journey at a later date of your choosing under comparable circumstances, at no further value. This consists of various transport to get you to your final vacation spot when the train is blocked and the service is suspended.”

More info could be discovered right here.

When is the Mont Blanc tunnel closing?

The deliberate closure for upkeep of the Mont Blanc tunnel between Italy and France has been postponed as a end result of landslide, Italy’s transport ministry stated on Thursday.

The tunnel – which hyperlinks Courmayeur in Italy with Chamonix in France, and was used by more than 1.7 million autos final year – was supposed to shut from 4 September for 15 weeks for planned upkeep works.

It’s unclear when works will now begin. According to Reuters, the closure might be delayed by up to a 12 months.. oferty pracy za granicą