Train delays caused by "malicious" fire at station near Florence.

Highspeed and regional train services between Rome and Florence face delays of up to three hours after an electrical switchboard outside Florence was destroyed by fire in the early hours of 22 July.

The incident, which occurred at Rovezzano station at 05.00, has been described by the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), Italy's railway infrastructure manager, as a "malicious act by unknown persons." 

A police investigation is underway as commuters face lengthy delays on trains coming from Milan and Bologna in the north and from Rome and Naples in the south.

The news comes at the start of a difficult week for commuters in Italy, with strikes affecting all public transport on Wednesday 24 July and air travel on Friday 26 July.

Photo La Repubblica