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The train was immediately withdrawn from operations after a passenger's pet snake crawled into the inner roof of a wagon, Eric Luthy, a manager at les Transports Regionaux Neuchatelois, said.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.''

Reptile experts tried to lure the snake out of hiding 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 snake is in the Colubridae family that includes rat, grass and garter snakes.

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 grossing film. The Neuchatel and Val-de-Travers region where the snake vanished is between Zurich and Geneva and borders France.

To contact the reporter of this story: Dorothee Enskog in Zurich at denskog@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 25, 2006 11:12 EDT