Italy's busiest rail junction faces a five-day shutdown starting July 5, 2026, forcing travelers between Rome and Milan onto slower coastal routes and adding up to 3 hours to journey times. The Florence node will close from 11:00 PM Sunday through 4:00 AM Friday as crews dismantle a 140-year-old rail bridge deemed structurally unsafe.
Why This Matters
• Travel times doubled: Rome-Milan Frecce trains will detour via the Tyrrhenian coast, stretching trips from 3 hours 40 minutes to as much as 6 hours.
• Half the trains cancelled: Florence's service will drop roughly 50% during the closure, affecting Trenitalia Frecce, Italo, Intercity, and Regional lines.
• Free shuttle buses activated: A dedicated bus service will bridge Firenze Campo di Marte and Firenze Santa Maria Novella stations, with connections to tram lines T1 and T2.
• Smart working urged: Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani has asked employers to enable remote work wherever possible to reduce congestion.
What Happens From July 5–10
The Florence railway node will suspend circulation between Firenze Campo di Marte and both Firenze Rifredi and Firenze Santa Maria Novella as part of a €17 M infrastructure replacement financed entirely by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). The shutdown is timed to allow crews to safely remove the Ponte al Pino overpass, a wrought-iron structure erected in the late 1800s that now poses load and safety risks to both road and rail traffic.
Travelers passing through Tuscany should brace for significant delays. High-speed trains on the Rome-Milan corridor will be rerouted along the slower Tirrenica coastal line, adding as much as 180 minutes to scheduled times. For context, a standard Frecciarossa from Rome to Milan currently runs about 220 minutes; from July 5 onward, that could stretch to nearly 6 hours. Bologna-bound passengers from Rome face a similar fate: what normally takes just over 2 hours may balloon to nearly 5 hours.
Italo services on the Turin/Milan/Verona/Venice axis to Rome/Naples/Salerno/Reggio Calabria, as well as connections to Bari, Benevento, Genoa, and Bolzano, will see cancellations, schedule changes, or delays of up to 180 minutes. Both operators advise checking updated timetables before departure through their official sales channels.
Impact on Regional and Local Services
Regional trains serving the Chiusi-Arezzo-Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Perugia/Foligno-Firenze, and Montevarchi-Prato-Pistoia corridors will be either limited to Campo di Marte or cancelled entirely. Lines connecting Florence to Pisa, Livorno, Piombino, Grosseto, Empoli, Siena, Viareggio, La Spezia, Lucca, Borgo San Lorenzo, and Faenza will also experience variations and cuts.
To maintain continuity, RFI and Autolinee Toscane will deploy free shuttle buses linking Campo di Marte to the city's tram network. The service runs from 6:00 AM to midnight—except on July 10, when it stops at 1:00 PM—with peak-hour frequencies as tight as 6 to 8 minutes. Passengers holding a rail ticket valid through Santa Maria Novella can board shuttles and use tram lines T1 (Strozzi Fallaci – Alamanni Stazione) and T2 (Libertà Parterre – Alamanni Stazione) at no extra cost. Those with regional tickets enjoy free T1 access between Strozzi Fallaci and Careggi.
Urban bus routes 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 20, and 22 will see temporary rerouting around Campo di Marte. Long-distance coaches usually terminating at Piazzale Montelungo will instead depart from the Santa Caterina bus station near Santa Maria Novella from July 6–10. A pedestrian footbridge over the construction zone will remain open for most of the period, enabling passengers to change buses on foot.
Why Now—and Why So Urgent
"We're dealing with a national emergency mounted for commuter safety itself," Governor Giani told reporters. "Ponte al Pino is 140 years old and must be replaced."
The steel-and-concrete span was inaugurated in the 1880s and has reached the end of its design life. Load restrictions were already in place, threatening further traffic curbs if action were delayed. The decision to cluster the most disruptive work in July reflects a trade-off: schools are closed, and summer schedules offer marginally more flexibility for remote work. Even so, Giani acknowledged "days of great difficulty" for residents and commuters.
The replacement itself is an engineering feat. Crews will assemble the new steel-composite deck in a separate staging area at Piazza Giorgio Vasari, then airlift it into position using a 1,600-tonne mobile crane. This prefabrication strategy shortens the window during which rail and road traffic must halt, compressing weeks of conventional construction into two concentrated weekends. A second shutdown—July 26 (11:00 PM) through July 30 (11:00 AM)—is scheduled for deck installation.
RFI is covering the full €17 M bill and contributing up to €1.3 M for complementary work: repaving access roads, upgrading Piazza Vasari, and reinforcing local public transport during the closures. The roadway will reopen to vehicles by mid-September, with the temporary footbridge removed in early November.
What This Means for Residents and Travelers
Employers should activate remote-work policies wherever feasible. Anyone commuting into Florence should verify train schedules in real time via the Trenitalia or Italo apps, as timetables remain fluid. Driving is possible but complicated: Via degli Artisti and Via del Pratellino near Campo di Marte will be closed or rerouted to permit crane access.
For those already in the city, walking remains the fastest way to navigate the compact historic center. The tram network—especially the T2 Vespucci line linking Peretola Airport to the Fortezza da Basso—offers a reliable backup. Single tickets cost €1.70, are valid 90 minutes, and can be purchased through the AT Bus app, at tobacconists, or with contactless cards aboard vehicles.
Bike-sharing via RideMovi and car-sharing through Enjoy or Adduma Car (electric) provide flexible alternatives. Taxis can be hailed through Taxi4242, Taxi4390, or the Taxi Move app, though fares run high.
Looking Ahead
Once complete, the new Ponte al Pino will eliminate weight restrictions and add a dedicated cycling and pedestrian lane, improving connectivity for non-motorized traffic. The investment is part of a broader modernization push along Italy's central rail spine, which has seen bottlenecks worsen as high-speed ridership climbs.
Travelers planning trips through Tuscany in late July should note the second closure window later in the month. For anyone with flexibility, re-routing via Bologna or deferring travel until August may save hours. Those without alternatives should budget extra time—and patience—for what promises to be one of the summer's most disruptive infrastructure projects in central Italy.
Detailed updates and real-time service alerts are available at viaggiatreno.it, autolineetoscane.it, and the municipal website of Florence. Governor Giani's office has urged passengers to check schedules before departure and to consider public transit or telework as first-line strategies for navigating the disruption.
