A journey of around three hours turned into a long ordeal. This is what happened on Sunday 16 August to passengers on a regional train travelling from Sassari to Cagliari, who had to contend with overcrowding, heat and problems along the line.

Alessio Garau, a young entrepreneur from Carbonia on holiday on the Island, told La Nuova Sardegna what happened after being caught up in the disruption along with numerous other travellers.

Passengers standing and sitting in the corridors

The journey began at around 2 p.m. from Sassari, but the situation is said to have become critical as early as the Ozieri area because of the number of people on board.

Images taken on board show passengers standing, people sitting on the floor and completely occupied corridors, making it difficult even to reach the toilets.

According to Garau's account, the overcrowding also hindered the circulation of air from the air-conditioning system.

“It was difficult to breathe”, the passenger said.

To ease overcrowding on the train, an alternative bus was also made available, and some passengers decided to continue their journey on it. The replacement vehicle, however, subsequently encountered the Ferragosto weekend traffic.

Then the breakdown in the Marrubiu area

Once the journey resumed, it encountered another difficulty.

In the Marrubiu area, a technical problem occurred on the railway line, causing a further stop. The fault was subsequently repaired, allowing the train to continue its journey.

In the meantime, however, the accumulated delays caused passengers to miss some connections.

Garau, who arrived in Decimomannu, said he was forced to wait until 8:30 p.m. to find the next connection to Cagliari.

“This system must improve”

The account has reignited the debate over the quality of rail links between northern and southern Sardinia, especially on the busiest days.

On the Sassari–Cagliari route, direct connections are limited during the day and the journey normally takes more than three hours.

Combined with breakdowns and large numbers of passengers, this situation can make it particularly difficult to catch a missed connection or quickly find an alternative.

The verdict from those on board is unequivocal.

“We were desperate. Everyone agreed that this system absolutely must improve”, Garau said at the end of a day that was supposed to be a normal journey from Sassari to Cagliari.