Passengers on a direct train from Genoa to Milan, in the afternoon, refused to give up their seats, regularly booked by 27 disabled children, with their companions. Despite the intervention of Polfer, the children with disabilities were forced to get off the carriage in which they had reserved seats and to get on a replacement bus, made available by Trenitalia.
It was Trenitalia itself that informed the president of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, and the regional councilor for transport, Gianni Berrino, of the incident. The 3075 train to Milan was stopped in the Principe station, in Genoa, for about 20 minutes due to the fact. “What happened today on a direct train from Genoa to Milan is shameful, an episode to be stigmatized – Toti and Berrino denounce – It marks the total lack of respect and sensitivity towards disabled people. Although Trenitalia operators and agents have intervened of Polfer there was nothing to do “.
According to reports from Trenitalia to the president of Liguria, already in Savona it was necessary to replace the train headed for Milan, because it was vandalized. The company has prepared three replacement buses and a new train, in order to absorb the same number of travelers, while maintaining the reserved seats on the train for the group of people with disabilities who would have boarded in Genoa. Arriving at the Principe station in Genoa, despite the signs affixed to the seats at the head of the train, the young disabled people were not seated by other travelers, who had already occupied their seats.
Young people with disabilities were therefore forced to get off with the help of their companions and are now reaching Milan on board a dedicated bus, made available by Trenitalia, with additional assistance staff. “Today, despite the fact that the trains have been stormed above all by vacationers returning to their destinations in northern Italy, the rail transport system has held up. And what happened was doubly serious, not only because the train was vandalized by unknown passengers – concludes Berrino – but above all because of what happened in Genoa, an unspeakable episode that must be firmly condemned “.