Winter weather causes problems on the railways and busy roadside assistance

Winter weather conditions will lead to a reduction in train services across several locations on Wednesday, with occasional deployment of buses. Motorists are also grappling with the challenges posed by the low temperatures. ANWB anticipates a sustained high volume of breakdown reports until Friday.

Motorists are contending with frozen locks, brakes, and doors as a result of the wintry weather. Additionally, some cars are failing to start due to malfunctioning or depleted batteries. In anticipation of increased demand, extra roadside assistance will be deployed until Friday. To accommodate this, training sessions and courses have been canceled, and employees have been requested to forgo their days off.

By 11:30 am, approximately 2,900 breakdown reports had already been received, pointing to another busy day for Roadside Assistance on Wednesday. Tuesday saw around 7,600 reports, and the spokesperson anticipates a similar trend on Wednesday. On a typical Tuesday and Wednesday, Roadside Assistance deals with approximately 3,500 to 4,000 breakdowns.

Due to the heightened demand, motorists are advised to expect longer-than-usual waiting times, according to the spokesperson.

Rail passengers are also experiencing disruptions due to the weather, with an increased level of disturbances reported by ProRail, the rail manager. Despite this, the spokesperson believes the issues are currently manageable. Near Zwolle, frost has caused a track crack toward Meppel, imposing a maximum speed limit of 10 kilometers per hour. The tear is slated for repair overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

NS (Dutch Railways) reports fewer trains running due to a defective track between Zwolle and Meppel, expected to persist throughout the day. In Zevenbergen, the Markbrug is malfunctioning, signaling improper closure despite being closed. This, according to the ProRail spokesperson, is attributed to winter weather. Trains are currently barred from crossing the bridge for safety reasons, impacting train traffic between Rotterdam and Dordrecht, as well as Lage Zwaluwe and Dordrecht. The resolution time for this malfunction remains uncertain.

 

[Source: Nu.nl]