Rail chief set to stand down after recent disruption to services

The managing director of Italian rail

company Ferrovie dello Stato, Stefano Donnarumma, is set to

stand down after Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo

Salvini said last week he was irked by continual disruption to

services, transport and infrastructure ministry (MIT) sources

said after the two men had a face-to-face meeting Thursday.

CEO Donnarumma will "close the most important dossiers in the

coming days before handing in his resignation," they said.

"Salvini," the ministry sources stated, "thanked the CEO for the

work done and the over 90,000 FS employees who perform an

essential role every day.

"Both agree to end his term ahead of schedule to launch the

company's phase two, having successfully completed the (national

Recovery and Resilience Plan) NRRP objectives, with a person

chosen from within the company at the helm."

Last week, continued disruptions along the railway lines had led

Salvini to express some "irritation" over the situation. Rumours

then spread about Donnarumma's possible departure, due precisely

to the minister's dissatisfaction.

At a meeting at the Ministry of Transport convened last Tuesday,

relations seemed to have calmed down, even according to

Donnarumma himself.

The ministry had also emphasized that train punctuality had

improved and that the disruptions were caused primarily by

copper theft, tampering, and "defects on trains from other

railway companies."

But a fresh meeting was held Thursday, at the end of which the

CEO's resignation was accelerated.

The Ministry is reportedly aiming for a "phase two" for FS,

"having successfully completed the NRRP objectives, headed by an

internally selected figure."

The ministry announced that "the Minister expressed satisfaction

with the NRRP targets achieved, which see FS approaching the €25

billion milestone, and with the company's enormous effort to

combine 1,300 construction sites per day with a 7% improvement

in punctuality in June 2026 compared to the same month in 2025.

"The Minister also highlighted the importance of the volume of

investments over the past two years and the €30 million return

to profit in the company's latest financial statements.

"The work done over these two years marks a significant

advancement of the Strategic Plan, with a focus on the

construction sites scheduled for this summer and the coming

months," MIT sources said.

Press rumours circulating in recent days indicate that the

current CEO of FS unit Trenitalia, Gianpiero Strisciuglio, is a

possible successor.

The centre-left opposition said it should be Salvini and not

Donnarumma quitting after years of allegedly bad service.

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