U-Bahn service stopped over fire fears

Service on an underground train route in Vienna came to a halt for half an hour yesterday evening (Mon) after passengers said they smelt smoke.Public transport agency Wiener Linien decided to stop operations on the U3 line after several commuters told staff at stations they smelt smoke and fire while on U-Bahn trains driving through tunnels.Fire-fighters searched the apparently affected parts of the network and gave the go-ahead for traffic as usual after failing to find any sources of fire.Wiener Linien announced at the weekend that it registered 838.7 million passengers last year, up by 3.3 per cent compared to 2009 – and more than ever before. The firm said the number of annual pass holders also rose as nearly 356,000 people owned such a ticket.The public transport operator recently said most of its standardised announcements – such as information about delays or a service breakdown – will be transmitted in both German and English in a few weeks time.