Italy border chaos: Train link to France may be out of action for two months, minister warns

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

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

700 cubic metres of rocks tumbled down the mountain, bursting through a safety barrier and littering train tracks.

All TGV and TrenItalia services running on the Chambéry-Turin line were cancelled between Monday and Wednesday, and disruption is still ongoing.

On Thursday, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune indicated that Franco-Italian rail link will be out of action for at least two months. 

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

French train operator SNCF said on Monday that train traffic would be interrupted until further notice between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Modane. Trains between France and Italy are still running via 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 stop is Saint-Michel-Valloire.

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

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

Après l’éboulement massif intervenu hier en #Maurienne, nos services publics sont mobilisés pour rétablir au plus vite la circulation routière et ferroviaire. Priorité absolue à la sécurité de tous ; un retour à la normale nécessitera plusieurs jours.