Winter weather causing problems on the railways

The winter weather is causing disruptions on the railways in various places in the Netherlands on Wednesday. A disruption occurred at the Markbrug in Zevenbergen, and there is a defective track near Zwolle towards Meppel, rail manager ProRail reported. There were also problems at the Lekbrug in Utrecht.

Due to the problems caused by the winter weather, fewer trains are running. Buses are used in some places. A spokesperson for rail manager ProRail said that the winter weather has led to increased disruption but that the problems are currently very manageable.

Near Zwolle, a crack has appeared in the track due to the frost. ProRail, therefore, implemented a speed limit of 10 kilometers per hour, the spokesperson said. The tear will be repaired during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. NS reported that fewer trains are running due to the defective track between Zwolle and Meppel. The carrier expects this to take all day.

In the meantime, the Markbrug does not give the signal that it is properly closed, even though it is. According to the spokesperson, that is due to the winter weather. For safety reasons, trains cannot cross it at this time, she said. That has consequences for train traffic between Rotterdam and Dordrecht and Lage Zwaluwe and Dordrecht. Work is underway to resolve the fault, but it is still unclear when this will happen.

The malfunction at Lekbrug has now been resolved, the spokesperson said. She is not sure whether the winter weather caused this issue.