Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana has suspended passenger trains between Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa and Siracusa, and between Catania Centrale and Caltagirone/Gela, while it rebuilds the eastern Sicily line. The RFI infomobilita notice took effect at 11 p.m. on September 30, 2026. A September 25 RFI press note, reported the same day by Gazzetta del Sud, dates the works from October 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Anyone flying into Catania and riding the train to Syracuse, Augusta, Lentini, or the Caltagirone and Gela branch now needs a bus for the southern leg, plus extra time at Catania Centrale. If you are staging a city night around that transfer, start with our Catania stay map so the interchange is a short hop, not a late scramble.
- Closed rail: Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa to Siracusa, and Catania Centrale to Caltagirone/Gela, from 11 p.m. September 30, 2026.
- Works window: October 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027, per RFI’s press note.
- Current bus tables: in force September 30, 2026, to December 12, 2026, on RFI infomobilita.
- Transfer: Catania Centrale for almost every replacement bus; regional train R 5381 uses Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa.
- Do not mix: a separate 24-hour RFI staff strike is still listed for October 12 to 13.
Train and Bus Transfer Points
RFI’s published passenger notice is narrower than the full construction window. The infomobilita page is in force from September 30, 2026, through December 12, 2026, which is the next national timetable change. The press note still says the Bicocca to Siracusa Centrale works, and the circulation suspension that comes with them, run through January 31, 2027. Treat December 12 as a recheck date, not as proof that trains resume that morning.
Trains that used to run through from Messina Centrale or Catania Centrale to Siracusa now end at Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa. Replacement buses cover Fontanarossa to Siracusa, with listed calls at Lentini, Augusta, and Priolo on most PA-series trips. The rail interchange is Catania Centrale except for R 5381, whose Syracuse bus leaves from the airport station. That is the pattern to book against, not a generic “Catania bus.”
Most buses stop in the forecourt of each station. RFI names two exceptions: Siracusa buses use Via On. Giuseppe Rubino, and Grammichele buses use Via G. Gentile 5. Syracuse is a walk from the historic station building, so do not wait on the platform for a train that is not coming. Keep the same caution if you are tracing White Lotus-era coastal days in eastern Sicily: the rail map on older guides is already out of date.
Catania Airport to Syracuse Replacement Pattern
The airport station is still a rail stop. What changed is the southbound through run. A typical weekday example on RFI’s table is regional R 21781 from Taormina, which now arrives Catania Aeroporto at 6:09 a.m. From Catania Centrale the connecting buses are PA505, leaving at 5:27 a.m., calling Fontanarossa at 5:45 a.m., Lentini at 6:13 a.m., Augusta at 6:43 a.m., Priolo at 7:07 a.m., and Siracusa at 7:30 a.m., plus a later PA507. Those times are the published replacement, not a guarantee of traffic on the coast road.
R 5381 from Messina Centrale is the airport exception. It is cut at Catania Aeroporto at 6:47 a.m., then PA511 leaves the airport at 7:03 a.m. and is due Siracusa at 8:48 a.m. Holiday-only trains such as R 22109, R 12957, and R 5385 follow the same cut-and-bus pattern on festive days. If your ticket still shows a through arrival in Siracusa, open Trenitalia or the RFI PDF attached to the notice and match the train number before you leave the airport.
Northbound travelers face the reverse: a bus to Catania, then a train toward Messina or a city connection. Budget 90 to 120 minutes of slack for a same-day flight at Fontanarossa. The airport rail stop is useful, but the Syracuse bus does not board at the terminal curb. You still have to reach the station, then the listed bus bay.
Caltagirone and Gela Are Off the Rails Too
The same works package cancels the Catania Centrale to Caltagirone/Gela rail offer and replaces it with buses from Catania Centrale. RFI also remaps Gela to Caltagirone trips on buses PA801, PA805, PA802, and PA804. Trains R 12982, R 5395, and R 21801 change times. That inland branch is a different traveler job from the Syracuse coast, so do not assume a Syracuse bus will drop you in Caltagirone.
Baroque towns on that line are still reachable, with a slower clock. If you hold a through ticket issued before September 30, use the train number, not the original arrival, as the lookup key. RFI says details sit on its site and on the railway undertaking’s channels, which for these regionals is Trenitalia.
RFI Closed the Line for the Augusta Bypass
Gazzetta del Sud, citing RFI’s September 25 note from Catania, locates the works between Bicocca and Siracusa Centrale. The package supports the Augusta rail bypass, which includes a new road underpass toward Contrada Costa Pisone, and the Gornalunga track variant on Bicocca to Lentini Diramazione. RFI also lists Valsavoia tunnel upgrades to interoperability specs, 1,650 meters of embankment work on Bicocca to Lentini Diramazione, 700 meters on Augusta to Priolo, Augusta tunnel consolidation, 30 kilometers of fiber from Siracusa to Augusta, and 25 kilometers of track renewal between Lentini Diramazione and Augusta.
The investment is about 215 million euros, with about 250 RFI and contractor staff on site. Circulation is suspended while the yards are open. That is why this is a bus season, not a handful of weekend possessions. The October 12 to 13 RFI infrastructure staff strike, already covered on Deep Arrival as a 24-hour Sicily rail walkout, is a separate overlay on the same geography. Do not treat that strike post as the closure calendar, and do not treat this closure as a one-day walkout.
Recheck the Timetable Before You Travel
Print a screenshot of your train number against the current RFI PDF the night before. December 12, 2026, is when the posted bus table expires; a new infomobilita sheet should appear for the rest of the works through January 31, 2027. If that sheet is late, keep using the bus assumption until RFI publishes a restoration. Trenitalia’s app and station monitors remain the day-of check, especially if a replacement bus is late on the SS114 corridor.
Tickets remain valid on the published substitute unless Trenitalia says otherwise for your fare type. Keep the original PNR. If you bought a tight Catania flight plus a same-evening Syracuse hotel, move the hotel night to Catania or add three hours. Do not count on a taxi from Fontanarossa to Syracuse as a cheap fallback at peak holiday times; price it before you skip the bus.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Land at Catania and need Syracuse the same day | Ride or transfer to Catania Centrale, then take the listed PA bus; only R 5381 boards the Syracuse bus at Fontanarossa. |
| Hold a through Messina to Siracusa regional ticket | Expect the train to end at Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa from October 1 through at least December 12, 2026. |
| Are going to Caltagirone or Gela | Use the Catania Centrale bus replacement, not the Syracuse coast buses. |
| Travel on October 12 or 13 | Stack this closure with the separate 24-hour RFI Sicily staff strike and recheck both notices. |
September 30, 2026, 11 p.m. is the start of the posted suspension. Do not board a southbound regional expecting to stay on the rails past Fontanarossa.
December 12, 2026, is the current bus-table end date. Recheck RFI infomobilita for the next sheet before you assume trains return.
January 31, 2027, is the works end in the RFI press note. Plan Syracuse and Gela trips on buses until a restoration notice names a live rail date.
Are Catania to Syracuse trains running in October 2026?
No. RFI suspended circulation between Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa and Siracusa from 11 p.m. on September 30, 2026, with buses covering that leg.
Until when is the Sicily rail closure in force?
RFI’s press note dates the Bicocca to Siracusa Centrale works through January 31, 2027. The detailed bus table now online runs only to December 12, 2026.
Where do I change for the Syracuse bus?
Catania Centrale for almost every listed replacement. Regional R 5381 is the exception, with the Syracuse bus leaving Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa.
Does the bus stop at Syracuse station?
RFI says Siracusa buses stop on Via On. Giuseppe Rubino, not in the station forecourt. Other stops are in station piazzas except Grammichele at Via G. Gentile 5.
Is the Caltagirone line open?
Rail between Catania Centrale and Caltagirone/Gela is cancelled and replaced with buses from Catania Centrale, with extra remaps on PA801, PA805, PA802, and PA804.
Is this the same as the October 12 Sicily rail strike?
No. The October 12 to 13 walkout is a 24-hour RFI staff strike. This story is a months-long construction shutdown with bus replacements.
