The Deutsche Bahn high-speed train was en route from Austria to Hamburg, Germany.
Less than 15 minutes into the journey, on Saturday at around 1:30 p.m. (1130 UTC/GMT), the train ceased movement in a tunnel due to a power failure, according to Austria’s APA news agency.
Austrian media reports indicated that passengers endured hours in the heat without air conditioning due to the power failure, with partial lighting also affected.
About 100 rescue workers assisted in the evacuation, which took over six hours.
Reasons Behind the Prolonged ICE Train Evacuation
The evacuation delay was partly due to passengers attempting to enter the tunnel, according to the Austrian ÖBB railways.
Some passengers chose to exit the tunnel on foot instead of transferring to a replacement train, leading to additional complications.
For safety reasons, power in the tunnel had to be turned off again, hindering the continued journey of the replacement train.
Passengers were ultimately evacuated via emergency exits around 8 p.m. and transported back to Vienna on buses.
APA reported that two passengers required treatment at the scene, but no hospitalizations were necessary.
The ÖBB issued warnings regarding ongoing delays to long-distance trains departing Vienna to ensure no one remained in the tunnel.
A spokesperson for German rail operator Deutsche Bahn attributed the incident to a technical problem, while noting that ÖBB was responsible for the section within Austria.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
