Italian rail is asking authorities to investigate the spate of train delays

ROME (AP) – Italy's national railways filed a complaint with law enforcement authorities Wednesday saying blackouts up and down the peninsula that have caused days of train delays were suspicious.

“It cannot be a coincidence” that the outage occurred at peak times on lines from Rome, Milan and elsewhere, said Ferrovia dello Stato, which runs the Trenitalia system. It did not specifically identify the alleged vandalism but said in a statement, “The nature of the failure and its frequency raise more than a few questions.”

Luca Ciriani, the minister for parliamentary relations, acknowledged the disruption but said that problems are not constant and that the latest delay was unusual. He promised the government's commitment to improving the railways using European Union funds.

Chaos in Italy's rail system has become a political headache for Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, with opposition lawmakers accusing him of neglecting his job in favor of other high-profile ministries.

In calling for Salvini to address the parliament about the delay, the 5-Star Movement on Wednesday noted Salvini's tweet on Tuesday about his meeting with the visiting Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar.