Donnarumma leaves Ferrovie dello Stato after pressure from Salvini

Published on June 26, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

The director of Italian State Railways, Stefano Donnarumma, leaves his position after a meeting with Minister Matteo Salvini. The meeting highlighted the government's discontent with delays and service problems. Although progress was acknowledged, such as a 7% improvement in punctuality and the achievement of recovery plan targets, a change in leadership was chosen to begin a new phase. The public expects a tangible improvement in service reliability.

Stefano Donnarumma walking away from a glass-walled railway control room, leaving behind a digital timetable showing delayed train routes in red, while minister Matteo Salvini points at a blinking performance dashboard displaying a 7% punctuality metric, abandoned coffee cup on a table filled with printed recovery plan documents, cinematic lighting contrasting the warm office interior with cold blue screens, photorealistic technical visualization, frustrated body language during the exit moment, high-end corporate architecture, detailed reflection on polished surfaces, engineering atmosphere with railway infrastructure blueprints visible.

Railway technology: the challenge of punctuality in the new management 🚄

Donnarumma's departure opens the debate on the technological tools needed to sustain the network. Recent delays are not only due to human errors, but also to the obsolescence of signaling and traffic management systems. The new chief, chosen internally, will have to prioritize the update of train control software and the integration of real-time data. Without these technical improvements, any promise of punctuality will remain a mere statement of intent.

Salvini changes the driver, but the train remains the same 🚂

Matteo Salvini has decided that the solution to the delays is to change the train driver. As if the problem were that Donnarumma wasn't pressing the go faster button on the control panel. Now we expect the new boss to have magical powers so that trains don't break down just when you're late for the platform. Meanwhile, travelers will continue the ritual of praying to Saint Precarious before buying a ticket.