Train chaos in Italy after rubbish dispute
Rail travel between northern and southern Italy was blocked for a third day as demonstrators near Naples occupied train tracks to protest against a local rubbish dump.
A few hundred locals started their occupation of the Montecorvino Rovella station, about 40 miles south east of Naples, on Friday evening. Disputes over rubbish dumps around Naples have raged for years, but this disruption was felt around the nation.
Thousands of passengers suffered hours on stuffy trains this weekend. The Trenitalia state railway service transferred many passengers to coaches, used boats to get passengers to and from Sicily, and put up some people in hotels.
Trenitalia urged travellers going to or from the south to make other plans. Dozens of trains were cancelled yesterday, and dozens more were expected not to run today.
The Montecorvino Rovella protesters began their demonstration after a local rubbish dump was reopened.
Officials around Naples have long struggled with heaps of rubbish and too few dumps. However, local protesters and environmentalists are worried about health dangers from incinerators and dumps, leading to intermittent pile-ups of trash in the region.
A more sinister element of the problem comes from the Mafia, experts say. Mobsters involved in illegal rubbish dumping have an interest in preventing the development of sufficient treatment systems, which would cut into their business.
