Because of door problems

Employees monitor new U2 stations

The highly complex glass doors have caused a massive delay in the opening of the U2. Additional staff are to help.

(Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario/Mario Urbantschitsch)

The problems with the automatic platform screen doors on the U2 line continue. The result is longer stops in the stations and therefore irregular intervals. Additional Wiener Linien staff are to help.

For almost a month now, the U2 has been running continuously from Seestadt to Karlsplatz again. The 180,000 passengers who travel on the violet line every day and Wiener Linien are delighted. The line has been extensively upgraded and already prepared for fully automatic operation of the U5 line from 2026. A total of 144 new platform screen doors were also installed in the Rathaus, Volkstheater, Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz stations - 60,000 passengers use the line every day. They should make the subway service even more reliable and pleasant. Actually. But the opposite has happened. The new doors continue to cause problems.

The U2 has been running continuously from Karlsplatz to Seestadt again since December 6, 2024. On the main line between Karlsplatz and Rathaus, Wiener Linien employees will ensure that everything runs smoothly.

(Bild: zVg)

Greens: "Instruct the drivers by hand"
While passengers shake the doors because they don't open too quickly, it can happen that the stopping point in the station is overrun. The train has to go to the next station as it is not possible to go back. The exact stopping point depends on several technical parameters. 

The fact is that stops at the U2 stations now take much longer. There are Wiener Linien employees at the stations who apparently instruct the drivers by hand signal where to stop.

Gemeinderätin Heidi Sequenz (Grüne)

Bild: Bartel Gerhard/Gerhard Bartel

Wiener Linien denies this: "The trains are automatically braked in the stations, manual braking or instructions on the platform using hand signals are not necessary," says the transport company. Since December 6, 2024, only the V-trains and new X-cars have been in use on the U2. The Silver Arrows do not run on this route as they are not compatible with the new system. On average, a train passes the stop window less than once a day - an exceptional case given the 480 journeys and 8,000 kilometers covered daily on the U2, the transport company emphasizes.

Postscript: "We have always emphasized that, as with any new system, full passenger operation with platform screen doors has to become established." In order to be able to react quickly in the event of disruptions, additional technical and service staff will be deployed. This staff will continue to be deployed for the foreseeable future. Work is currently underway on the holding times in the stations.