`Snake on Train' Alert Causes Swiss to Pull Train From Service
By Dorothee Enskog
Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- A Swiss regional train that normally operates in the Neuchatel region of western Switzerland has been pulled from service after a meter-long (3.3 feet) snake slithered into a wagon's ceiling.
The train was immediately withdrawn from operations after a passenger's pet snake crawled into the inner roof of a wagon, Eric Luthy, a manager at les Transports Regionaux Neuchatelois, said. `
The experts haven't been able to locate the snake, which isn't poisonous but nevertheless poses a threat to passengers,'' he said today in a telephone interview.
Reptile experts have tried to lure the snake out of hiding by using rats and mice as bait, Luthy said. ``
We're looking into various detection methods, like scanners, given that infra-red devices won't work as the snake is a cold-blooded animal.''
The reptile escaped on Aug. 19, a day after the campy thriller ``
Snakes on a Plane'' opened in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The Time Warner Inc. movie was that weekend's top film with $15.3 million in receipts. The Neuchatal and Val-de-Travers region where the snake vanished is between Zurich and Geneva and borders France.
`Snake on Train' Alert Causes Swiss to Pull Train From Service
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