Ten years of crisis on the Circumvesuviana train: record lows and passengers fleeing.

Naples – The Circumvesuviana has confirmed its status as Italy's worst railway for the tenth consecutive year. This is confirmed by the Pendolaria 2025 report, published yesterday by Legambiente, which paints a bleak picture of the situation: 12 months of disruption, constant breakdowns, unexpected cancellations, and a dramatic flight of passengers.

According to data, over 13 million passengers have been lost in the last decade, a sign of a crisis of confidence in EAV, the public company that manages rail transport in the Naples metropolitan area.

Legambiente's complaint is clear: promises of renewal—new trains, increased frequency, and video surveillance—are clashing with a reality of fires, derailments, and silence. The delivery schedule for 57 new trains, announced as a solution to replace the 30-year-old ones, is proceeding slowly, leaving the network increasingly vulnerable and inadequate.

The problems have worsened recently, with a lengthy interruption on the Naples-Poggiomarino route, further impacting thousands of commuters. Massimo Aversa, secretary of the CISL Trasporti union, appealed to President Fico: "Legambiente's report marks the end of another disastrous year for the Circumvesuviana.
Delays, disruptions, and safety risks are now the order of the day. Immediate investments in equipment, technology, and personnel are needed, otherwise the 2026 dossier will simply be yet another confirmation of a failure for EAV and the Circumvesuviana.

Regional data also confirm the negative trend: in 2024, there were 255.535 passengers on Campania's regional trains per day, compared to 261.193 in 2019 and 422.000 in 2009. "It's not enough to think about new infrastructure," comments Francesca Ferro, director of Legambiente Campania, "if there's then a lack of an adequate train offering."

It's not just the Circumvesuviana that's paying the price for inefficient management: the Salerno-Avellino-Benevento route is also among the worst in Italy, described by Pendolaria as "a prime example of delays, promises, and missed opportunities." The overall picture is clear: Campania demands concrete answers and a clear timeline to reverse the course of an increasingly troubled public transport system.