Tragic incident resulted in distruption to rail services.

A railway worker was killed after being hit by a train between Bologna and Venice in northern Italy early on Friday, resulting in disruption to high-speed, Intercity and regional trains.

The technician was employed by a subcontractor hired by Italy’s train network infrastructure manager RFI, which expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased man.

An investigation is underway into the incident which, based on an initial reconstruction of events, may have occured after the worker moved away from the area where the works were being carried out, the RFI said in a statement.

Italy's deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini offered his deepest condolences and is following developments closely, the transport ministry stated.

The tragic incident comes two days after Salvini faced calls to resign after an electrical fault in Rome brought the country's rail network to its knees, leading to delays of up to four hours and the cancellation of more than 100 trains.

In August 2023, five railway workers were killed after being hit by a train in Brandizzo, about 20 km north-east of Turin, on the main Milan-Turin line.