Trouble for passengers

Public transport chaos in Vienna: accident with crane on U6 line

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

A closure of the U6 underground line in Vienna caused a lot of trouble and chaos in early morning traffic on Tuesday morning. This is because it is not possible to travel between Michelbeuern-AKH and Burggasse, Stadthalle. Why? A track bed suction cup derailed during the night at Josefstädter Straße station ...

"Due to an operational disruption, it is not possible to operate the U6 line between Michelbeuern-AKH and Burggasse, Stadthalle. Please switch to line 5 instead", is the announcement in the subway stations. There is congestion at the stops and the crowds are getting bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to get to work or to their appointments.

Passengers are told to take large detours
Wiener Linien is also advising passengers to use buses in addition to line 5. These would run between Michelbeuern-AKH and Westbahnhof. "Avoid the route as far as possible," they say. 

Track bed suction cup blocks the U6 line
But what exactly is the reason for the blockage that is causing so much excitement in the morning? Between Josefstädter Straße and Thaliastraße, a rail vehicle tipped onto its side at around 2 a.m. (see photos) and the line is impassable in this area. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

A spokesperson for Wiener Linien was optimistic that the U6 would be able to resume operations relatively quickly in the track change.

It was not yet clear whether the track had also been damaged. The vacuum cleaner would first have to be removed so that any damage could be checked. 

Device sucks up ballast
The track bed vacuum cleaner - which is operated by an external company - is a device that sucks in the ballast so that it can be replaced. The suction arm of the machine is quite heavy, which may have caused it to tip over. 

U4 closure lasts until September
In addition to the closure of the U6, construction work on the U4 line is currently causing a long commute and little enthusiasm. The U4 between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring is being fitted with new tunnel supports. The subway cannot run between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring up to and including September 1.