Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
My wife and I took an OeBB train from Innsbruck to Verona last October, which coincided with an Italian rail strike. Fortunately for us, the OeBB-operated train from Munich ran (on time too) though it was terminated at Verona and those going on to its normal terminus of Bologna were bussed from Verona. Can't remember if the SüdTirolean trains were running.
It'd seem OeBB (and DB?) doesn't trust the Italians as it has an Italian subsidiary operating its own locomotives. Additionally, OeBB and DB at least have a joint ticket office in Verona which was open while the TrenItalia rail ticket office was closed.
Not sure how the other OeBB/DB joint-operated trains were running that day.
A few years ago the Germans and Austrians got fed up with the poorly maintained (Trenitalia) equipment used on the Munich-Italy trains and replaced them with their own cars but continued to use Austrian locomotives up to the Italian border. Trenitalia got into a tizzy and refused to pull the DB/OeBB trains south of Brennero, to announce them or show them in any schedules, to let them use Milan main station (even though EU law requires free access to all certified European train operators), and to allow the DB/OeBB trains to pick up or drop off passengers between Verona and Venice. Trenitalia also quickly booked (and therefore blocked) all the attractive train paths south of Brennero, although they never actually used them. So the Germans and Austrians got Ferrovie Nord Milano, normally a commuter and freight operator, to pull their trains in Italy. Trenitalia, which is part of the state railway which also controls the tracks and stations, tried to make life as difficult as possible for DB/OeBB - until they realized there was a better (more lucrative?) way. Trenitalia bought up Ferrovie Nord Milano, renamed it Trenord and started to cooperate again with DB/OeBB on the Munich-Italy service, including letting OeBB locomotives run all the way from Munich to Venice/Milan/Bologna and using German and Austrian cars. As far as the strike on your trip goes, it looks as if Trenitalia operating staff was on strike, but Ferrovie dello Stato had to allow Nord Milano to continue using the tracks and stations.