Bolzano, 19 October 2025
Near the southern entrance of the Sciliar tunnel, on the Verona - Brennero line, a fire broke out on a Mercitalia Rail locomotive. The driver suffered a fainting spell after inhaling smoke, and the train crew promptly activated the emergency procedure by contacting the Verona Traffic Operations Room and requesting the intervention of the fire brigade and medical rescue services.
Once Rete Ferroviaria Italiana technicians and the fire brigade reached the scene, traffic was halted on both tracks, and, after disconnecting the railway line, the fire brigade first-aid teams entered the tunnel. After putting out the fire, they carried the driver out of the tunnel, and entrusted him to the care of the Healthcare Emergency Services staff.
Once the fire had been put out, the injured employee had been secured, and RFI technicians had assessed the absence of damage on the railway line, after the Railway Police’s authorization, the go-ahead was given for normal traffic resumption.
This was the scenario of the emergency drill that took place on the night between Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October, and involved FS Group companies, the Government Commissioner for the Province of Bolzano, the Railway Police, the Bolzano Fire Brigade Team, the South Tyrolean Voluntary Fire Brigade Team, the 118 Ambulance Service and Voluntary Associations.
Particular attention was paid to verifying the effectiveness and speed of activation of emergency management procedures.
The purpose of the drill, part of FS Italiane Group's Annual Drills Plan, was to verify staff training, monitor communication flows and test the coordination capacity between the different railway players involved and external emergency responders.
During the drill, train traffic between Prato Tires and Ponte Gardena was interrupted in both directions.