Odyssey of a commuter: Carolina Morelli’s journey between Amantea and Marzi reveals the inconveniences of Ferrovie della Calabria passengers.
Carolina Morelli she is an Italian teacher for foreigners, a worker who every day faces a real ordeal to go to work from Amantea to Marzi. Carolina leaves Amantea every morning at 6.49 and, after a long journey that ends just before 9.00, she manages to arrive at the office often a few minutes late, thanks to the understanding of her employer. Carolina shared her story with us in hopes of bringing these issues to light and finding a solution. We traveled the journey with her I screen Lise-Rogliano to document the inconveniences also complained of by other passengers and understand the difficulties they encounter on a daily basis during their journey.
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Carolina, can you describe your journey from Amantea to Marzi? What means of transport do you use?
«I leave by train from Amantea station at 6.49. I travel with Trenitalia. Generally, I arrive at 7.40 in Cosenza. After about a quarter of an hour, I take the train Calabrian Railways which starts from Vaglio Lise and arrives in Rogliano center. The train is quite punctual in the morning. After the famous landslides that we all know about, some work was carried out, but the Rogliano-Marzi line has not yet been restored. So, I have to take a replacement bus which should leave at 8.50. Often, we travelers have to urge the driver to leave on time. In some cases I manage to arrive at 9 o’clock, other times I am a few minutes late. However, the problem is not so much on the outward journey but on the return journey.”
What are the main difficulties you encounter during the return journey from Marzi to Amantea?
«I leave work at 1.30pm and, at that time, there is no replacement bus. So, whatever the weather conditions, I have to walk about three kilometers from Marzi to Rogliano. This stretch is all uphill. But I pay a subscription of 47 euros to have a service both on the outward and return journey; however, on the way back I don’t have part of the service because I have to walk that stretch of the road. I would like to have clean, efficient and punctual trains. Unfortunately, delays and inconveniences are normal here. The exception is that everything is fine. The train almost never leaves on time. I leave at 2.08pm and arrive no earlier than 3.05pm. A few days ago, I arrived at 3.10pm, other times at 3.19pm. Sometimes, I arrive a quarter of an hour later than expected. So, I have just enough time to go from one train to another so as not to miss the connection.”
How long have you been on this journey? Have you ever missed your connection to Amantea?
«I’ve been traveling for about three months and I’ve already missed my connection to Amantea more than once».
How do these delays and disruptions affect your daily and working life?
«Often, I spend many hours on the train or at the station. So I’m forced to reschedule my commitments. At the moment, I feel like one of the “lucky” ones, because in case of a train delay, I have the connection an hour later. There are other workers or students who encounter greater inconveniences. I don’t see why people should suffer this disservice on a regular basis.”
How do Ferrovie della Calabria employees react to these problems?
«The employees are now resigned. They are used to our complaints, but they shrug their shoulders and invite us to go to the press. They don’t interface with their superiors.”
Have you ever lodged complaints with Ferrovie della Calabria? If so, what kind of responses did you receive?
«I sent at least two or three emails. This is the only way to have contact with them but I have never received a response. Other commuters also made complaints and contacted the staff but received no response. Indeed, there was someone who, complaining about the delays, was told: “These are indicative times.” But how is it possible that the timetable of a public service is indicative?”.
Can you tell us about any particularly significant or problematic episodes you experienced during your travels?
«Once, we had to stop in Pedace. They let us off because another train had broken down and had to be towed. This caused a major delay. I remember that a lady had to have an oncology visit. On another occasion, taking the 2.08pm train, it happened that the signals to give permission to the train to continue its journey were not working. The train conductor had to go and make these changes manually at Piano Lago. This caused delays. On the second day, the same problem occurred. Fortunately, I managed to catch the coincidence by a hair’s breadth.”
Have you ever thought about alternative solutions for your daily commute?
«Before traveling by train, I traveled by car. But this also means putting yourself at risk because our roads are no better. Precisely on the route that I should travel, Falerna-Rogliano, there was recently a bad accident with one fatality. For two years, I traveled 110 km a day by car. In addition to being stressful, it is burdensome. Therefore, I chose this alternative even though it takes twice as long and the hygienic conditions of the seats and bathrooms are terrible.”
We found questionable hygienic conditions not only in the bathrooms on the Vaglio Lise-Rogliano train but also in the Rogliano station.
“Exact. There are cobwebs and foliage on the ground.”
What solutions or improvements do you think could be implemented to solve these problems?
«In the garages there are new trains, which have remained unused as it seems that the authorizations are missing. A new train would already be a big step forward. The line from Rogliano center to Marzi should be reactivated.”
In this regard, we turned to the mayor of Rogliano Giovanni Altomare. To date, he has been informed that the works are “almost” finished…
«If it is still not possible to restore that line, the number of replacement buses could be increased. If the service is there, people use it.”
Further suggestions?
«Communication should be made more efficient. There are people who should take the train at intermediate stations but are not informed if the replacement train or bus is available. These are buses which, in some cases, are very cumbersome compared to the roads we have in our villages.”
What message would you like to reach the management of Ferrovie della Calabria?
«The service should be made more efficient at 360°. Working in these conditions, with old and dirty trains, also seems uncomfortable for the employees. I can’t understand why they don’t also interface with management to understand how to improve things together with us users. Dialogue is the basis of every solution.”
