A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #22-25 - Viareggio train disaster: the train still blows its whistle (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

June 29, 2009, 11:48 PM. Freight train 50325 (operated by the then 
Trenitalia Cargo Division, part of the FS Group) departed from Trecate 
in the province of Novara and headed for Gricignano in the province of 
Caserta, carrying 14 tanks full of LPG belonging to the GATX company, 
when it derailed at the Viareggio station. The derailment, as years of 
trials and expert reports have revealed, was caused by the failure of a 
bogie axle on the first tank car. The car left the tracks and struck an 
iron rail marker that regulated the track curves, tearing the tank, 
allowing the gas to escape into and around the station. The subsequent 
triggering of the gas (the origin of which was never determined) 
triggered a massive explosion that devastated much of the station and 
nearby homes. This holocaust resulted (in some cases with prolonged and 
painful agony) in the deaths of 32 people-including very young 
children-injuring around a hundred people, and devastating a neighborhood.

What happened immediately after the massacre-the approach of the railway 
workers (who would later form the "June 29 Assembly" along with part of 
the city) to the victims' families-gave rise to a mobilization of 
solidarity and unwavering determination to shed light on a dark affair. 
Mauro Moretti, then CEO of FS Holding and a key figure in the FS Group, 
displayed arrogance and insensitivity in the face of deaths and 
injuries, while also ruthlessly targeting railway workers who were 
beginning to report irregularities and the RLS, the workers' safety 
representatives. Riccardo Antonini, an employee of Rete Ferroviaria 
Italiana, paid the price for standing alongside the families in the 
reporting process with his dismissal. The infamous "hare's foot," for 
example, which the railways cited as the trigger for the rift rather 
than the picket line, and the fact that axle maintenance was not the 
responsibility of FS Italiane: these were pieces of a puzzle that used 
the Chinese boxes of national and international companies as a means to 
shift the responsibilities that insistently weighed on the tragedy. 
Profit prioritized over safety, the true cause of everything, created an 
irreversible situation for all those who died, were injured, or had lost 
loved ones. Security, as mentioned, was almost a nuisance in those 
Chinese boxes where no one was responsible for anything. Maintenance, 
inspections, everything was left to chance: what mattered was generating 
wealth.

The great crimes occurred not only before the disaster, but also clearly 
afterward, in institutional politics and in trials, without forgetting 
those public squares where the forces of "law and order" allowed 
themselves to use violence, specifically during the inauguration of the 
Rome Tiburtina train station, using shoving and repressive practices 
against family members who were waging a battle that concerns the entire 
community. We also recall the first ruling of the Court of Cassation 
that "quashed" the workplace accident established in the first two 
levels of judgment, thus allowing the companies, and therefore the 
rotten capitalist system, to get away with it when it comes to judicial 
truth.

Many events have occurred during these 16 years of mobilization, but 
first and foremost, we must absolutely mention the family members of the 
Il Mondo che Vorrei Association: Daniela Rombi, mother of Emanuela, who 
died after unspeakable suffering from burns; Marco Piagentini, father of 
Luca, four, and Lorenzo, two, and husband of Stefania, all of whom died 
horribly in that cursed explosion. He survived despite the fire, despite 
the devastation of his loved ones and his body, having undergone sixty 
reconstructive surgeries for the severe burns he suffered, a living scar 
that continues to fight stubbornly, along with the others. These family 
members, along with the June 29 Assembly, were the true architects of 
the conviction of Mauro Moretti and other top railway executives. 
Convictions obtained with incredible tenacity: that "shred of justice in 
their pocket," as the family members say, which represents a historic 
event in Italy.

Throughout this time, Viareggio has effectively been a school of 
activism for all those railway workers who care about truth and 
security. For example, last Sunday, June 29th, on the 16th anniversary 
of the Viareggio train disaster, we were present as the Cub Rail 
editorial team and as the "Ferrovie* contro la guerra" (FCG) collective 
at the meeting, scheduled before the demonstration, on "School, 
railways, peace and security. Let's talk about it with railway workers 
and teachers." A debate that linked militarization to security, 
employers' arrogance to military arrogance, profit versus human rights. 
The contribution of school and railway personnel was important. Among 
other things, the recent scandal at the Tombolo station (located on the 
line between Pisa and Livorno) was mentioned. Here, in order to complete 
the new tracks and switches connecting the Navicelli Canal, the railway 
infrastructure, and Camp Darby (the largest US arsenal outside of the 
United States), the FS suspended civilian rail traffic for war purposes 
during the late morning hours of June 10-20. The leaflet distribution 
that followed, organized by the FCG together with the Livorno 
Antimilitarist Coordination, sparked outcry and indignation among the 
population and also gained some following in the press. It is therefore 
clear that the contribution of railway workers, even against the 
escalation of war, will be important. During the debate, Daniela Rombi - 
president of the Association Il Mondo che Vorrei - also stated: I cited 
the railway workers' strikes as a prime example of the struggle for 
safety that must be supported with all our strength.

A very important moment, in which family members, as has always been the 
case, support railway workers in the long journey ahead to improve 
working conditions. These family members, now that the trial is 
practically over and those responsible have been identified, continue 
their work on the issue of workplace deaths and railway safety, in 
support of the railway workers' struggles, as a form of proactive 
reconversion and organization of their grief. A unique example, one to 
be embraced entirely.

An embrace that, after all, has materialized every year since that 
damned massacre, on June 29th, demonstrating that the silence can and 
must be broken. Throughout the day, from five in the morning to 
midnight, and especially during the evening procession, the trains 
passing through the Viareggio station whistle. Those who witnessed it 
know how moving it is. It's something the railway workers organized with 
great difficulty compared to Ferrovie; it's a solidarity effort, a A 
whistle meant to be a raised fist against the injustices and massacres 
committed in the name of profit, a hug to the victims' families.

Andrea Paolini - Railway Worker

https://umanitanova.org/strage-ferroviaria-di-viareggio-il-treno-fischia-ancora/
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