The train was stopped at the Brenner crossing on the Italian side. (Image for representation: Reuters)

Austria halted all train traffic to and from Italy following fears that a train on Sunday night had two people on board who may have been infected with the COVID-19 virus, authorities said.

The train was stopped at the Brenner crossing on the Italian side, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said, according to Austrian broadcaster ORF.

The train came from Venice in Italy and was on its way to Munich.

Austria, which shares its southern border with Italy, has expressed concern about the recent outbreak of the virus in the north of the country.

The region has seen the number of infected people in the country soar to at least 152, the most outside Asia.