Snow: Fewer trains, canceled flights, busy rush hours expected
The Netherlands is getting snow on Wednesday and that will have consequences for all forms of traffic. NS is running fewer trains. Schiphol expects flight delays and cancelations. And ANWB expects busier than usual rush hours in the morning and evening. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for the entire country.
Due to the weather, NS adjusted its timetable to run 20 percent fewer trains than usual on a working day. The trains that are running will be extended where possible. In many places trains will run every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes. And routes that have trains every 10 minutes, will have trains every 15 minutes on Wednesday. The limited train schedule is in place so the NS can quickly respond to problems, and provide more accurate travel information, the railway said. Passengers can expect longer travel times and more crowded trains.
KLM already canceled 21 departures and 21 arrivals for Wednesday. All these flights are within Europe. The company is keeping an eye on the weather forecast and will decide on that basis whether more flights will be canceled, according to NOS. Schiphol warns of possible delays and cancelations. Travelers are advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
ANWB warns that both morning and evening rush hours will likely be busier than usual, due to icy and slick roads. During the early morning, most of the snow will fall in the southern areas. The snow front is expected to only reach Amsterdam after rush hour. KNMI expects up to 3 centimeters of snow for most of the Netherlands, and up to 5 centimeters in the south and southwest.
NOS weather woman Willemijn Hoebert expects that evening rush hour will be most affected by the winter weather, though by that time the southwest will be getting drier with temperatures rising to 4 degrees. In the middle and north of the country, there is a good chance of the snow staying on the ground for a few hours as temperatures will drop to freezing as evening approaches.
