No trains on Saturday morning due to storm damage; Code Red gone in the south
Storm Eunice has caused a great deal of damage on the railway. As a result, the national train shutdown which started on Friday afternoon will be extended through Saturday morning, railroad infrastructure organization ProRail stated.
Wind gusts during Storm Eunice peaked at 145 km/h near the border of Noord-Brabant, Utrecht, and Zuid-Holland, and also at the IJsselmeeer. Four people have been killed in different accidents involving falling trees, and a fifth person was hurt.
In many places in the country, fallen trees are lying on the track or the overhead power lines are damaged. ProRail started inspection runs on Friday evening, which are train rides without passengers to check whether there are any roadblocks or damaged portions of track.
However, due to the persistent strong winds, ProRail cannot safely launch the process across the entire country. "Unfortunately, that means that we cannot start the timetable tomorrow morning. The safety of our employees is number one," according to the railroad management firm.
It is not yet clear when this will be possible. “We advise travelers to keep a close eye on the Travel Planner,” ProRail said.
Code Red warning called off in the south, continues in the north
Dutch meteorological institute KNMI reduced the Code Red weather warning in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland two steps to Code Yellow. Four other provinces were at the reduced level, including Gelderland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, and Overijssel.
The Code Red warning remained in effect in Flevoland until the end of Friday night, and in the provinces of Noord-Holland and Friesland until 3 a.m. on Saturday. The same was true for the Wadden Islands and the IJsselmeer region.
Drenthe and Groningen were expected to remain at the Code Orange level until 3 a.m. as well.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times