The station has two separate platforms. According to witnesses, the man apparently wanted to cross the two tracks from one side to the other while a train had stopped opposite. When he climbed between two wagons, the train drove off and he fell under the train, police reported on Saturday.
The emergency services were alerted at 11:15 p.m. Police officers cleared the station completely and U6 operations in the area were completely suspended. According to police spokesman Philipp Haßlinger, witnesses stated that the man obviously wanted to get to the other platform of the station as quickly as possible. Initial sightings of the video surveillance systems should confirm this information. However, the investigations by the traffic accident squad of the regional traffic department of the Vienna police have not yet been completed.
The Wiener Linien also spoke of a “tragic accident” and expressed their regret. The man tried to climb over the so-called cupola space between the second and third wagons. “Once once more we would like to emphasize that crossing the subway tracks is strictly forbidden and life-threatening,” it said. “Should passengers notice that someone is entering the platform area of an underground train, Wiener Linien recommend pressing the emergency stop lever on the platform immediately.”
Due to the operation, the U6 might only run between Siebenhirten and Schöpfwerk or Philadelphiabrücke and Floridsdorf until 1:05 a.m. Continuous operation was only possible once more following the corpse had been recovered by the Vienna fire brigade. According to Wiener Linien, the subway driver received crisis psychological care.
