ICE passengers travelling to Germany from Austria stuck in tunnel for hours
several media reports
stating that some were trapped in darkness and without air conditioning for hours due to the power outage.
Two people required outpatient treatment, but no serious injuries were found, the Vienna fire service said.
The Deutsche Bahn ICE train travelling from Vienna to Hamburg lost power in Hadersdorf at 1.30pm due to a malfunction, a spokesperson for Austrian railway company ÖBB said on Saturday.
The company said it was impossible to tow the train out of the tunnel, so the decision was made to transfer passengers to a replacement train in the tunnel instead with the help of rescue services.
However, according to ÖBB, "a handful" of passengers failed to follow the instructions and instead left the train and disappeared into the tunnel. This meant the power had to be shut down again for safety reasons.
"The tunnel must now be searched for people," the ÖBB spokesperson said, explaining that the line could not be reopened until it was guaranteed that no one was left in the tunnel.
Because of the late hour and to avoid further delays, the decision was taken to evacuate people via the emergency exits rather than using the replacement train, a spokesperson for the Vienna fire department said after 7pm.
Advertisement
The evacuation operation – which was supported by 20 vehicles and 80 emergency workers – was completed just before 8pm, ÖBB said. Stranded passengers were returned to the city centre by Wiener Linien buses and given further travel information.
The breakdown led to long-distance trains being diverted resulting in significant delays, which continued into the evening, the rail operator said.
Shortly after midnight, an ÖBB spokesperson said that the line between Vienna-Meidling and Tullnerfeld was open again "without restrictions."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
6 days ago
- DW
Tour de France: Pogacar triumphs after Montmartre sprint – DW – 07/27/2025
Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar led the peloton on a novel route up Montmartre and past the Sacré-Cœur en route to winning the Tour de France for the fourth time. Tadej Pogacar entered serenely into Paris on Sunday to wrap up his fourth Tour de France title, while Wout van Aert celebrated a famous final stage win as three circuits of the hill of were added to the traditional finish on the for the first time. Slovenian star Pogacar entered this year's Tour as clear favorite and lived up to expectations from start to finish, ultimately finishing with a comfortable lead of four minutes and 24 seconds over Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard. Germany's Florian Lipowitz finished third, some 11 minutes behind Pogacar, riding for team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and marking a successful Tour entry for the Austrian energy drink brand. "I think the second week [of the Tour] was the decisive moment," Pogacar said. "We took more advantage and went more comfortably into the third week." While Pogacar's lead was never in danger on the final stage – the wearer of the , or yellow jersey, traditionally entering the capital with a flute of champagne – the addition of to the end of the stage was a novelty for the sprinters. Tour director Christian Prudhomme made no secret of the fact that he had been "jealous" of the spectacle of riders racing around the steep, cobbled streets of Montmartre during the 2024 Paris Olympics, and of his desire to replicate the scenes at the climax of the Tour de France. But the decision wasn't universally well received in the peloton. "I don't think it's a good idea," said Vingegaard. "seemed very beautiful at the Olympics, with a great atmosphere. But when the riders arrived there, there were 50 in the peloton. Now there will be 150 of us fighting for position on a very narrow climb. It's going to add more stress than we'd like." Former German sprinter Marcel Kittel also lamented the move away from the traditional climax, saying: "It hurts my heart as a sprinter." But Pogacar wasn't complaining. "Everyone celebrates in their own way, I just want peace and some nice weather, not like here today," he said, drenched in Parisian rain. "Now I just to enjoy some quiet days at home."
Local Germany
6 days ago
- Local Germany
ICE passengers travelling to Germany from Austria stuck in tunnel for hours
It took over six hours to evacuate the passengers from the railway tunnel, with several media reports stating that some were trapped in darkness and without air conditioning for hours due to the power outage. Two people required outpatient treatment, but no serious injuries were found, the Vienna fire service said. The Deutsche Bahn ICE train travelling from Vienna to Hamburg lost power in Hadersdorf at 1.30pm due to a malfunction, a spokesperson for Austrian railway company ÖBB said on Saturday. The company said it was impossible to tow the train out of the tunnel, so the decision was made to transfer passengers to a replacement train in the tunnel instead with the help of rescue services. However, according to ÖBB, "a handful" of passengers failed to follow the instructions and instead left the train and disappeared into the tunnel. This meant the power had to be shut down again for safety reasons. "The tunnel must now be searched for people," the ÖBB spokesperson said, explaining that the line could not be reopened until it was guaranteed that no one was left in the tunnel. Because of the late hour and to avoid further delays, the decision was taken to evacuate people via the emergency exits rather than using the replacement train, a spokesperson for the Vienna fire department said after 7pm. Advertisement The evacuation operation – which was supported by 20 vehicles and 80 emergency workers – was completed just before 8pm, ÖBB said. Stranded passengers were returned to the city centre by Wiener Linien buses and given further travel information. The breakdown led to long-distance trains being diverted resulting in significant delays, which continued into the evening, the rail operator said. Shortly after midnight, an ÖBB spokesperson said that the line between Vienna-Meidling and Tullnerfeld was open again "without restrictions."
DW
7 days ago
- DW
Austria: ICE train passengers stuck for 6 hours in tunnel – DW – 07/27/2025
Passengers of a German high-speed ICE train spent more than six hours stuck in a tunnel near Vienna before being freed. Some 400 passengers left hot and in the dark on an Intercity Express (ICE) train in a tunnel near Vienna have been freed after an evacuation operation lasting more than six hours. The high-speed Deutsche Bahn train was traveling from the Austrian capital to the northern German city of Hamburg. Less than 15 minutes into the journey, the train stopped moving in a tunnel around 1:30 p.m. (1130 UTC/GMT) on Saturday due to a power failure, Austria's APA news agency cited the Austrian ÖBB railways as saying. Austrian media reported that passengers were stuck in the heat for hours after the air conditioning stopped because of the power failure. The lights were also partly off, Austrian media reported. With the help of around 100 rescue workers, the operation of freeing the passengers from the tunnel took more than six hours. The delay was partly because of passengers entering the tunnel, ÖBB said. As passengers were transferring to a replacement train within the tunnel, some people decided to leave on foot, the rail operator said. For safety reasons, the power in the tunnel had to be turned off again, which meant the replacement train was unable to continue its journey. Passengers were instead evacuated from the tunnel via emergency exits, which was completed around 8 p.m. Passengers were then brought back to Vienna on buses. Two passengers were treated at the scene, APA reported, but none needed to be hospitalized. The ÖBB warned of ongoing delays to long-distance trains out of Vienna as staff ensured no people remained inside the tunnel. A spokesperson for German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said on Saturday evening that the train had a technical problem. However, the spokesperson noted that ÖBB operated the section within Austria.
