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An 18-year-old woman in Italy was beaten and raped after being dragged into woodland near San Zenone al Lambro train station, prompting Lombardy regional officials to call for railway underpasses to be closed during evening hours.
The assault took place shortly after midnight on Sunday. According to investigators, the teenager was at the station underpass on Via del Bissone when a man, described as North African, approached her. He then suddenly forced her into some bushes bordering the station, where he beat and raped her before fleeing.
The victim managed to call emergency services. She was taken first to Policlinico Hospital and then to Milan’s Mangiagalli Clinic, a specialist center for sexual violence cases.
Il Giornale reported how police are analyzing surveillance footage from the station and surrounding areas, while the Lodi prosecutor’s office has opened a case and is coordinating with police investigators. DNA samples have also been collected to help identify the attacker.
Romano La Russa, Lombardy’s regional security councillor from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI), has called for the closure of underpasses at train stations during the night to prevent further attacks. “RFI [the owner of Italy’s railway network] must, together with the municipalities, initiate a census of the most dangerous railway underpasses and plan their closure. The incident in San Zenone al Lambro is extremely serious; immediate action is needed.”
Franco Lucente, regional councillor for transport, expressed solidarity with the victim alongside La Russa: “Our deepest sympathies go to the young woman, the victim of such heinous violence. Law enforcement is working to identify the perpetrators of this unspeakable crime, and we hope they will soon be brought to justice.”
Lucente added that Lombardy has long invested in safety on public transport and highlighted Trenord’s new fleet of trains equipped with cameras, as well as expanded video surveillance in stations. “The goal is to ensure that there are no ‘no man’s lands’ where crimes go unpunished. This requires collaboration with local governments and police forces to ensure comprehensive surveillance of sensitive areas.”
This, however, has not stopped a surge in attacks in recent times.
In July, an American tourist was stabbed in the chest while traveling on a regional train from Melegnano to Milan, in the latest of over 260 violent incidents reported on Italy’s rail network so far this year.
The 27-year-old victim was attacked near San Giuliano Milanese train station by a group of three or four young men described as of North African origin, who reportedly attempted to steal his gold necklace before fleeing the scene.
In July, a 20-year-old woman was raped by a man of North African origin while commuting alone by train from Trecate to Novara, just west of Milan.
“I was alone; there was no one on board except me,” the woman told the police. “When my attacker approached me, I looked around. I immediately understood his intentions, but I didn’t have time to escape. I tried to call for help, but no one heard me and was able to intervene. I was alone. I was scared.”
In November last year, trade unions threatened to strike over the escalating violence facing their workers on Italian public transport. The move followed the stabbing of a train conductor by two young men of North African origin on a regional train in Genoa Rivarolo.
“The gravity and intolerability of these episodes urgently require firm and decisive intervention,” the unions said in a joint statement.
