Italy's opposition leaders round on Salvini over rail chaos.

Italy's deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini faced renewed criticism on Tuesday after the country's rail network was disrupted by major delays and cancellations.

The problems began in the morning when rail services in southern Italy were severely impacted by snow in the Reggio Calabria region, with delays also on the Rome-Florence line which is currently undergoing maintenance works.

More chaos ensued at Rome's central Termini station where an electrical fault shortly after 18.00 blocked Italy's main railway hub for almost an hour, resulting in lengthy delays, changes and cancellations.

A similar episode occurred last October when a blackout between Termini and Tiburtina railway stations in Rome paralysed the capital's rail network and led to the cancellation of more than 100 trains.

At the time, Salvini blamed the travel chaos on a maintenance worker from a private company who hammered "a nail into a cable" at "three o'clock in the morning".

Since then the transport minister has faced regular criticism from opposition leaders over the continued delays and disruptions faced by people commuting or travelling on Italy's trains.

Matteo Renzi, former Italian prime minister and leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, on Tuesday wrote on X: "Rail transport seems to have gone crazy. What is happening in Italy?"

Renzi said his party was "ready to present the motion of no confidence" in Salvini, adding: "We can no longer go on like this", before sharing an online petition by Italia Viva calling for the transport minister to resign.

Equally harsh in her criticism was Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), who accused Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Salvini of "paralysing Italy, with devastating effects on the daily lives of citizens and incalculable damage to the country's economy and tourism."

"Every day there are delays, lack of information for travellers and blocked refunds" - Schlein said - "This is a country that starts every day with an hour of delay, we can no longer permit it".

Giuseppe Conte, former Italian premier and leader of the populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), slammed the rail disruption on Tuesday as "another disaster".

"Let's update the government, locked in its golden rooms, on what is happening in the real world: pitch darkness for commuters and travellers at Rome Termini where there is a fault in the power line" - Conte wrote on X - "When will they propose dignified solutions for a civilised country? Wake up!"

Commuters also directed their rage at Salvini, with many pointing out online that he missed the inauguration of the newly-restyled Piazza dei Cinquecento at Termini on Tuesday morning.

Following his acquittal in the Open Arms migrant case in December, Salvini has publicly expressed his wish to return to the interior ministry which he headed during the first Conte government from 2018 to 2019.

Photo credit: ReoromART / Shutterstock.com.