Punctuality down, passengers transported down. But salary up. This is the paradox of Trenord and its CEO, Marco Piuri, denounced by the Democratic Party council group in the Lombardy region, according to which the manager would earn over 660 thousand euros per year. “The regional railway service is significantly worse than it was before Attilio Fontana arrived in the region at the beginning of 2018. This is certified by the official numbers provided by the region and the company in official documents. The 2023 sustainability report was recently published, which allows us to update the comparisons with previous years. Punctuality in 2023, according to this document, settled at 82%, that is, only 82 trains out of a hundred arrive on time or with delays of less than five minutes. Almost one in five trains operated by Trenord arrives late. Punctuality has dropped compared to 2022, it was 83.7%, and this year too it is lower than the period preceding Fontana’s arrival”, reads a note signed by the Democrats.
“Even the ‘failed’ lines, that is, those that in the space of a month were below the standards for punctuality and cancellations, demonstrate that in recent years there has been a worsening. In 2023, the Bonus lines, that is, so deficient as to make regular users recognize a discount on the subscription for the following month, were 179, an increase compared to the previous year, but above all almost doubled if we consider 2017”, continues the complaint of the Democratic Party.
“It is important to note that in the meantime the regional railway service has reduced both the offer and the number of daily users. If in 2017 Trenord trains travelled a total of 43.5 million kilometres, in 2023 they only covered 40.7. The 6.4% reduction in service is due to the company’s industrial choices. The reduction in users, from 755 thousand, on average on weekdays, in 2017 to just over 700 thousand in 2023, is certainly due in part to the changes that occurred after the pandemic – recourse to smart working, changed habits -, but perhaps, in part, also to the reduction in offer. The reduction in offer and users, accompanied by a significant renewal of the fleet, with the introduction of numerous new trains, are advantageous conditions that have not led to an improvement in the quality of service. Evidently something went wrong”, continued the Democratic Party representatives.
The maxi salary
But if all the reference indicators are falling, the salary of the CEO – who is also the general manager of Ferrovie Nord Milano – is rising. “At the head of Trenord, Fontana called Marco Piuri as CEO at the end of 2018. As is known, his remuneration, due above all to the second assignment, is not only substantial, but has grown significantly over the years. It has further grown in 2023, as reported in the 2023 Remuneration Report. His compensation reaches, in the year 2023, 663,508.67 euros, with an increase compared to last year of 36,228.92 euros, +15 thousand on the fixed part and +21 thousand on the variable part”, they “denounced” from the Democratic Party. Noting among other things that “since the DG of Fnm and CEO of Trenord took office, his emolument has increased every year: considering the first full year, 2019, Piuri took home 171 thousand euros more in the last year, with an overall increase of 35%. The part that increased the most is the ‘bonus’, the variable part, which went from 137 thousand to 233 thousand euros, with a +70%, while the fixed, in the same period, increased by just under 25%”.
“Trenord’s service has worsened significantly in these years of Fontana’s management, both in terms of punctuality and reliability, and the official numbers say so,” attacked the Democratic Party group leader Pierfrancesco Majorino. “And yet the salary of the strongman of the national railway service, Marco Piuri, is constantly growing, now at very high levels. There is an evident disconnect, so we ask President Attilio Fontana if he is satisfied with these negative performances and to explain to the Regional Council and the citizens of Lombardy what his assessment is regarding the state of affairs. He cannot continue to pretend not to have any responsibility for a situation that is scandalous.”
“It is clear that Fontana has failed enormously on railway policies – added his colleague Pietro Bussolati, who oversees budget and subsidiaries for the Democratic Party group -. If we compare Trenord’s performance in 2017 with that of 2023, we see a reduction in kilometres travelled, therefore in the railway offer, of 6.4%, and a reduction in passengers transported of 7.3%. Trenord has a renewed fleet, because under pressure from citizens and politicians, in the last phase of the Maroni administration, entirely supported by the Lombardy Region, an investment plan was launched for the purchase of new trains. The sum of these three elements should lead to fewer cancellations and greater punctuality and instead we see a reduction in punctuality from 2017 to today of 2.2% and a doubling of bonus lines, i.e. below standard. The railway service, it should be remembered, is the second largest expenditure item in the Lombardy Region budget, and accounts for approximately 12% of the budget. overall”.
Boom in complaints
“In 2023 there was a boom in complaints made to Trenord, 25% more than the previous year – echoed Simone Negri, head of the PD delegation in the transport commission -. For the Lombards, there are twelve million hours lost due to railway disruptions, a value that is worth an economic loss of 168 million euros for the Lombard economy. These are data contained in an official Trenord document. But the company is positive by 19 million and Piuri sees his compensation increase on the Fnm side. It is clear that there is an ever-increasing gap between the corporate and economic management aspects of the Trenord company and what is the service for citizens. On the other hand, the guarantees for commuters are reduced, who have seen the bonus disappear, which was a compensation for the inconvenience but also a thermometer of the performance of the service, while the company is asking a commuter representative to pay ten thousand euros for having harshly criticized it. Conditions are getting worse and transparency is decreasing, this is a trend that must be stopped.”
The Region’s version
A few minutes before the Democrats released their statement, the same data had been analyzed by the regional councilor for transport and sustainable mobility, Franco Lucente. “In Lombardy, 81% of trains arrive at their destination on time, 87% within 7 minutes, 95% within 15 minutes”, was his version. “National indicators – added Lucente – show that Trenord’s performance, adjusted for irregularities due to external and infrastructural causes, is higher than 92%. To date, 8 lines are closed in whole or in part, because they are affected by infrastructural work being carried out by Rfi, another player in the complex mobility system. These works, which necessarily cause inconvenience, negatively affect punctuality, but will certainly bring benefits, for more modern lines and an increasingly punctual and efficient service”.
“In any case, the Lombardy Region is doing its part in a concrete way. In fact, 165 of the 214 new trains are in service, modern, comfortable, and passengers are already greatly appreciating them. The new trains are significantly improving punctuality rates. A concrete result – the regional Transport Councillor underlined – that silences all speculation and highlights the extraordinary effort of the Lombardy Region to improve the service, with an investment of over 1.7 billion. I am aware that we can and must do even more: we are working in this direction, convinced that we can reach excellent quality standards. Levels that the people of Lombardy deserve”.
“Today in Lombardy – Lucente concluded – over 2,200 journeys run every day, used by 750,000 passengers. As is also the case for other transport companies, on weekdays the figure remains lower than pre-Covid. On the other hand, on Lombard trains on Saturdays and Sundays daily passenger numbers have already exceeded 2019, a record year for Trenord. These are all numbers that the Lombardy Region is the first to aim to increase: the Service Contract that we have signed with Trenord plans to exceed 50.5 million train-km and one million daily passengers by 2033”.
The note from Fnm
Late in the morning, a note from Ferrovie Nord Milano arrived on the manager’s salary. “With reference to the press reports published between yesterday and today, it should be noted that the compensation of Dr. Marco Piuri mentioned in the articles is related to his position as general manager of Fnm”, it reads verbatim: “They are therefore paid entirely by FNM and include both the fixed and variable part”.
“For the other positions held (CEO of Trenord and President of Tilo) Dr. Marco Piuri does not receive any remuneration”, the note continues. “It should also be remembered that Fnm, in the period 2019-2023, went from 300 million euros of consolidated turnover to over 600 million with the entry into the sectors of motorway infrastructure and renewable energy. In the same period, consolidated Ebitda went from 71 million to 211 million”, concludes the note.
){kind=link}