Train crash in Italy: the downside of mobility
In a train crash near Milan on Thursday three people were killed and 47 injured, in some cases severely. Many students and commuters were on the train; the precise cause of the accident is as yet unknown. Growing mobility is increasing the risk of accidents in highly developed regions, journalists comment.
Don't underestimate commuting
The changes in the working world have resulted in ever-growing commuter figures, Corriere della Sera writes:
“People no longer live near where they work. Those who have painstakingly managed to get hold of a job will defend it tooth and nail. So the number of those who get up at the crack of dawn day in, day out to take the train and get home in the evening is growing. The continual advance of technology doesn't reduce labour mobility. On the contrary, every day the flood of goods and people on the move increases. ... We all, the media and of course the politicians, still haven't quite grasped this fact and continue to underestimate the importance of mobility in modern society. We treat the phenomenon of commuters like an anomaly that will sooner or later be absorbed.”
A slap in the face for the north
Northern Italy prides itself on being the country's economic motor but the region has criminally neglected the rural areas, complains La Stampa:
“Tragedies like this destroy our illusions and show us how wrong the reassuring securities on which our stupid pride, our stupid comparisons and our stupid hopes are built really are. It's an illusion that there is a part of Italy in which modernity, technological advances, the region's wealth and professional competence precludes train accidents, so that they only occur in the deep south of the country. ... The north often boasts that it is the country's driving force, but it isn't able to bring its commuters safely to their place of work.”