Cause of Fire in Vienna's U1 Confirmed

The fire in the Vienna subway line U1, which injured six people slightly on November 19, was caused by a short circuit due to an electrical defect. This is the conclusion of an investigation conducted by an external fire expert in cooperation with the vehicle manufacturer, as announced by the Vienna Lines on Tuesday.

Insulation Damage to Wiring Cause of Fire in Vienna U1

The investigation revealed that there was insulation damage to the wiring to the drive motors. However, no systematic error was found in the vehicle model in question. All trains of this type have already been checked at the relevant points and no further indication of this problem was found. "Nevertheless, the close-meshed control of the affected components will be included in future maintenance," the Vienna Lines emphasized. Safety is "top priority". The subway cars of the Silver Arrow type have been in use for more than 30 years. The affected train was 31 years old and had travelled 2.5 million kilometers without major incidents, it was explained.

The subway, which had been on the move as a special train without passengers, caught fire late in the afternoon of November 19 and came to a burning stop between the Taubstummengasse and Südtiroler Platz/Hauptbahnhof stations. The driver and five station staff of the Vienna Lines were slightly injured by smoke gases, the professional fire brigade was able to extinguish the fire after an hour. The cables on the route and the track bed in the affected area were partly so severely damaged that the operation of the U1 between Keplerplatz and Stephansplatz was only resumed ten days later after the repair work.

(APA/Red)

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