Slipped onto the tracks

Truck brought the Bim to a standstill in Linz

No streetcars were able to pass the stop for around 20 minutes.(Bild: Constantin Handl, Krone KREATIV)

The German truck was just a few centimeters too far to the left on the Linzer Landstraße. A short drop, a loud crunch, then nothing worked - the truck hit the curb and blocked the northbound streetcar traffic. Fortunately, the fire department, police and Linz AG were able to recover it in less than 30 minutes.

Everyone in Linz knows the ramp at the Bürgerstraße stop. Because the stop is in the middle of the street, the ramp was raised by around 20 centimetres to allow barrier-free boarding and alighting. This slight difference in height was the undoing of a German food truck on Wednesday.

Reason for getting stuck unclear
It is unclear whether the driver, who was probably unfamiliar with the area, simply overlooked the edge or why he slid onto the tracks with his left side. What is certain is that the truck blocked the streetcar tracks and was unable to move under its own power. 

Blocks of wood under tires
"At around 9.20 a.m., the first passenger announcement was made that there would be a delay due to an obstacle on the tracks," says Linz AG spokeswoman Susanne Gillhofer. But help was quickly on hand: two vehicles from the Linz professional fire department and several patrol cars, together with the Linz AG coordinator, diverted traffic and placed wooden blocks under the floating tires.

Free again after around 20 minutes
The heavy vehicle, whose flanks were adorned with advertising for a Bavarian food wholesaler, was finally able to leave the tracks. "After around 20 minutes, the first streetcar was able to pass the scene of the accident. Unfortunately, it still took a while for the timetable to settle down again due to the backlog," says Gillhofer.