Italy transport minister suggests "premeditated attack" on railway network as Milan Cortina Winter Olympics gets underway.The first full day of the 2026 Winter Olympics was marked by systemic travel disruption across northern Italy on Saturday, as authorities launched a major investigation into what they termed "serious sabotage" of the national railway network.The incidents, centred around the critical transport hub of Bologna, mirrored the coordinated attacks on France’s TGV network during the Paris 2024 Games, raising immediate security alarms for the Milan-Cortina event. Italy’s transport ministry and the state-owned railway, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), said the chaos was not caused by technical failure but by a series of deliberate acts. Investigators have identified three distinct locations of interference, including severed electrical cables near Bologna's central station, forcing the temporary closure of the high-speed station, a primary artery for spectators travelling between Milan and Venice. Police also discovered and removed a crude explosive device from a track switch on the Bologna-Padua line, while an electrical cabin housing a track switch was set ablaze before dawn on the Bologna-Ancona line, further paralysing traffic along the Adriatic coast. "If it were confirmed that the interruption was the result of a premeditated attack on the first day of the Olympics, let's just say someone is wishing Italy harm," said deputy prime minister and transport minister Matteo Salvini. The timing of the incidents appears calculated to maximise disruption as thousands of athletes and fans attempted to reach Olympic venues in the Dolomites and Alps. High-speed, Intercity and regional services experienced delays of up to two and a half hours. Due to key logistic role played by Bologna in the Italian rail system, the damage caused a ripple effect that delayed trains as far south as Rome and as far north as the Olympic co-host, Milan. While no group has claimed responsibility, officials are exploring leads related to anarchist groups and "hybrid warfare" threats. The Italian government has drawn direct parallels to the 2024 Summer Olympics, where arsonists paralysed the French rail network just hours before the opening ceremony. The Italian incidents share several similar elements including the targeting of signalling systems and the use of arson in remote, difficult-to-monitor stretches of track. The transport ministry insisted that the Games' image remains "unblemished" and that security protocols have been further tightened across all major rail junctions. Separately, the travel disruption coincided with an anti-Olympics protest in Milan which culminated in violent clashes between riot police and a group of demonstrators, seven of whom were detained. Photo Corriere della Sera - Bologna

The first full day of the  was marked by systemic travel disruption across northern Italy on Saturday, as authorities launched a major investigation into what they termed "serious sabotage" of the national railway network. The incidents, centred around the critical transport hub of Bologna, mirrored the coordinated attacks on France’s TGV network during the Paris 2024 Games, raising immediate security alarms for the Milan-Cortina event. Italy’s transport ministry and the state-owned railway, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), said the chaos was not caused by technical failure but by a series of deliberate acts. Investigators have identified three distinct locations of interference, including severed electrical cables near Bologna's central station, forcing the temporary closure of the high-speed station, a primary artery for spectators travelling between Milan and Venice. Police also discovered and removed a crude explosive device from a track switch on the Bologna-Padua line, while an electrical cabin housing a track switch was set ablaze before dawn on the Bologna-Ancona line, further paralysing traffic along the Adriatic coast. "If it were confirmed that the interruption was the result of a premeditated attack on the first day of the Olympics, let's just say someone is wishing Italy harm," said deputy prime minister and transport minister Matteo Salvini. The timing of the incidents appears calculated to maximise disruption as thousands of athletes and fans attempted to reach Olympic venues in the Dolomites and Alps. High-speed, Intercity and regional services experienced delays of up to two and a half hours. Due to key logistic role played by Bologna in the Italian rail system, the damage caused a ripple effect that delayed trains as far south as Rome and as far north as the Olympic co-host, Milan. While no group has claimed responsibility, officials are exploring leads related to anarchist groups and "hybrid warfare" threats. The Italian government has drawn direct parallels to the 2024 Summer Olympics, where arsonists paralysed the French rail network just hours before the opening ceremony. The Italian incidents share several similar elements including the targeting of signalling systems and the use of arson in remote, difficult-to-monitor stretches of track. The transport ministry insisted that the Games' image remains "unblemished" and that security protocols have been further tightened across all major rail junctions. Separately, the travel disruption coincided with which culminated in violent clashes between riot police and a group of demonstrators, seven of whom were detained. Photo Corriere della Sera - Bologna