The commuters on the Vesuvian lines are not standing up to this. Associations, groups, and committees that have been defending the rights of Circumvesuviana passengers for years are once again attacking the president, general manager, and sole administrator of EAV, accusing him of using the dysfunctions of the judicial and administrative system as a cover to conceal responsibility for a management they call a failure.
"Once again," write the commuters' representatives, "the president of EAV is attacking the judicial system to hide the flaws in his ten-year management."
The petition was signed by four well-known voices in the Vesuvian civic movement: Enzo Ciniglio, spokesperson for the Facebook group "No to the Cut to Circumvesuviana Trains"; Salvatore Ferraro, spokesperson for the social media group "Circumvesuviana-Eav"; Marcello Fabbrocini, president of the Cifariello-Ottaviano civic committee; and Salvatore Alaia, president of the E(a)vitiamolo Sperone civic committee.
The case of locomotives: a déjà vu
At the heart of the controversy is the locomotive purchase, stalled by a series of cross-appeals and swinging rulings between the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) and the Council of State. This is a story that, according to the committees, dangerously resembles the one experienced with the trains for the Vesuvian lines: years of accumulated delays, promises to renew the rolling stock that never materialized, and the first ETRs still waiting to enter service.
"The new locomotive purchase situation," Ciniglio, Ferraro, Fabbrocini, and Alaia emphasize, "seems to mirror the train purchase for the Vesuvian lines, which has been delayed for years." A familiar scenario, in short, that commuters are no longer willing to accept as inevitable.
Unclear tenders and ignored rules
The committees also point the finger at the quality of EAV's tender procedures. Without wishing to be "easy," as they themselves write, they denounce a recurring pattern: tenders with unclear rules that, once awarded, leave ample room for appeals; or, worse still, structurally flawed tenders that fail to take corporate profit into account and end up being rejected.
"The commuters do not want to set themselves up as champions of administrative justice," the statement reads, "but they emphasize that they are not calling for a change of rules while the game is in progress: rules and laws exist and must be respected, always! Just as the commuters and travelers on the Vesuvian lines managed by EAV must be respected."
Ten years of broken promises
The committees' assessment of EAV's management is merciless. Ten years of announcements unsupported by action, a service offering reduced "to a minimum in quantity and quality," and traveler confidence eroded by the wait. This is why Vesuvian commuters are clamoring for the launch of what they call an "operation of truth": a moment of transparency and public reporting that sheds light on the true state of rail transport in the Vesuvian area.
The appeal to the Campania Region
The final message is addressed to the Campania Region, as the owner of EAV and guarantor of the service contract. The committees demand answers to the "many unanswered questions" and make a specific appeal to Regional Council President Roberto Fico and Transport Councilor Luca Casillo, renewing their request for an institutional meeting to address the Vesuvian public transport crisis.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (2)
I also believe that the administration and the Region should sit down together without accusations, but with precise data and numbers. Passengers have the right to punctual trains and fair tickets; superficial controversies that slow down solutions are unnecessary.
I understand the committees' reasoning—there are too many delays, unclear tenders, and promises that have been made for years. However, a serious and constructive discussion with the Region and EAV would be helpful to clarify responsibilities and plans, to ensure clear timelines and operational trains.