Not barrier-free – New U2 station has no elevator or escalator

With much commotion and long construction delays, the U2 route between Schottentor and Karlsplatz was recently reopened. The stations are brand new and have platform doors for future driverless trains.

But one thing is missing, and will remain so for many years to come: there is no elevator and no escalators at the Rathaus stop in the direction of Seestadt. The stop (on this side) is virtually unusable for people with mobility problems or in a wheelchair.

The Wiener Linien has three pieces of advice on what those affected can do:

• One stop further, so to the Schottentor. There you wait for the U2 back via the central platform, go back to the town hall and take the (only) elevator on this side of the station.

• Do not use the metro, but if necessary take tram line D, 1, 2 or 71.

• Get off at the Volkstheater and order the minibus from the Vienna Local Railways on 0664/623 65 98. Hardly anyone knows, but the minibus serves as a shuttle service to take passengers from there to the town hall for free. However: the pre-order time is a maximum of 15 minutes.

The elevator won’t come until 2030
This unsatisfactory situation will continue for a long time, certainly until 2030, the transport companies say. There is only a lift here when the U5 runs to the town hall and the U2 to Matzleinsdorfer Platz.

‘That can’t be true. “Wiener Linien needs three female directors because of so much incompetence?” complains FPÖ transport spokesman Anton Mahdalik. “Given these enormous construction costs, there should be a temporary solution,” said the representative, who is now submitting a corresponding application to the municipality.