Vienna man’s foot gets stuck in U-Bahn door
An elderly mans foot got stuck in the door of an underground train but the public transport vehicle did not stop for safety reasons, it has been reported.Viennese newspapers report today (Thurs) that a pensioners foot was trapped in the closing door of the U-Bahn when it left Reumannplatz station yesterday. The 69-year-old claims the door did not open again automatically as it is supposed to when one of the doors are kept from closing. The man also told press he did not hear the automatic announcement warning passengers to step back before the trains doors close as it departs.He reportedly rejected another passengers suggestion to pull the emergency brake but stayed on the U1 line train until the next station with his foot jammed by the door. The pensioner was not injured. It has not been reported whether he is considering seeking compensation from the citys public transport agency Wiener Linien.A spokesman for the company said that investigations have already started. He stressed that the firm is depending on witnesses statements since the platforms where the incident reportedly happened are not equipped with a CCTV system.A five-year-old boys thighs were broken in a similar incident only last May. The kid was dragged along the Enkplatz station platform after it got stuck in the closing door of a train on the U3 underground line. Officials were unable to clarify whether the driver simply did not see the jammed child as he left the station.Wiener Linien said recently that it will restart replacing the closing part of older generation U-Bahn trains doors in March. The rubber-padded doors often do not open automatically before departure if an object with a diameter of around five centimetres gets stuck.Dozens of new U-Bahn trains were introduced in Vienna over the past few years. Those public transport wagons feature air conditioning equipments and plastic seats, while some older models have no air-con systems and fabric-covered seating which is more difficult to clean.The pressure on Wiener Linien over its older undergrounds also soared due to several incidents in recent weeks in which trains became stuck in tunnels for as long as two hours due to technical problems.