2018 Rome escalator accident

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi issued a request for a formal inquest over the cause of the malfunction. The entire Repubblica station was closed for 246 days so that investigators and firefighters could carry out all investigations and rescue operations.^[11][12] Metro stations Spagna and Barberini, also on Line A, were also temporarily shut after the accident.^[13] A representative from ATAC, Rome's public transport company, issued a statement that "all maintenance checks of the escalator were carried out regularly and the results were in accordance to the norms."^[14]

In the week following the accident, protests against Raggi raised concerns about her failing to address the city's issues such as the accident and lack of funds for city upkeep and infrastructure.^[15] Meanwhile, police after studying the accident footage concluded that the fans were not jumping on the escalator. The CSKA fans released a statement on 24 October that; "Italian officials, without conducting an investigation, were quick to accuse us of the accident. Apparently, they are trying to shun the responsibility of what happened."^[6]

In March 2019, Barberini station had a similar accident which after investigation of the two incidents was determined to similarly be caused by the disabling of safety systems by improper maintenance.^[12][16]

By September 2019, as part of the ongoing investigation and in the context of evidence found of tampering and false documentation, three ATAC employees and one Metro Roma employee were charged with fraud in public procurement and aggravated personal injury, and "precautionary measures" were taken by the authorities against the four individuals.^[17]

By December 2020, the investigation of the incident concluded, with the finding that the safety systems of the escalator were tampered with, leading to the escalator work being falsely certified as complete; the primary brake had not been serviced and was operating below specification.^[18][12] Additionally, employees of Metro Roma disabled a brake wedge via the use of plastic cable ties in an effort to prevent the escalators from stopping and an alarm triggering, with the knowledge of ATAC officials.^[19][12] The resulting report noted the role of Metro Roma technicians alongside several ATAC employees who were found to be complicit.^[20]

Four ATAC managers, Ettore Bucci (employee acting as sole manager of the proceedings), Alessandro Galeotti (operations manager for the Repubblica and Barberini stations), Filippo Nazario (director of maintenance contract execution), and Raffaele Santulli (director of the maintenance and infrastructure department), as well as ten employees of Metro Roma were charged, with the latter group charged with fraud in public procurement and causing grievous bodily harm.^[20] The prosecutor noted that "Metroroma technicians could not have acted without the complicity of ATAC employees."^[20]

• Incidente Su Una Scala Mobile Della Metropolitana Di Roma, Linea A, Stazione Repubblica, Avvenuto In Data 23/10/2018 [Escalator Accident on the Rome Metro, Line A, Station Repubblica, on 23 October 2018] (PDF) (Report) (in Italian). Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti. 27 July 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2025.