Code Orange: Be prepared if you have to take the road, Trains on reduced schedule
The Netherlands is braced for a lot of snow on Wednesday. The infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat has urged people to stay home today. And if you do have to be on the road, take your winter coat and make sure your phone is fully charged, even for short trips, Roaside Assistance advised. NS is running trains on its reduced winter timetable, and many bus services aren’t running until after the morning rush hour.
The KNMI expects up to 10 centimeters of snowfall in the Netherlands today and issued a code orange weather warning for almost the entire country. Only Limburg and the Wadden Islands are covered by a code yellow warning.
“Snow will fall from the west for several hours. Roads, cycle paths, and sidewalks will become slippery. Visibility may also be poor at times,” the KNMI warned. “Traffic, as well as cyclists and pedestrians, will experience disruptions.”
The coastal areas will get 1 to 3 centimeters of snow today, further inland will see 5 to 10 centimeters, and the Wadden Islands and Limburg can expect 2 to 5 centimeters.
The Rijkswatersaat has urged road users to work from home today if at all possible.
If you have to leave the house, make sure that you are well prepared, a spokesperson for the motorists’ organization ANWB told ANP. Leave on time and go slowly. “Pay attention to your driving style. Maintain your distance and halve your speed. Be careful.”
Traffic was quickly building on Wednesday morning. At 7:30 a.m., the ANWB reported 34 traffic jams covering 205 kilometers of Dutch roads.
NS is using its winter timetable on Wednesday, which means fewer trains are running. The rail company is also struggling with many switch failures, caused by the freezing weather. “Please allow for additional travel time, frequent transfers, and crowded trains. Plan your trip shortly before departure for the most up-to-date travel information,” NS said.
Train traffic around Amsterdam, which has been severely disrupted since Monday, is running mostly back on schedule again. Only Schiphol and Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA are still inaccessible by train.
Due to the icy roads, many bus services aren’t running on Wednesday morning. In Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague, the buses will only start up after morning rush hour, for example.
