Traffic keeps rolling, but trains battle snow

27 February 2004

AMSTERDAM — Dutch weather bureau KNMI has warned motorists of icy roads and poor visibility in some areas on Friday as snow showers move from the southwest to the east of the country. But the massive traffic jams of Thursday did not re-materialise.

KNMI Spokesperson Patrick Potgraven told news agency Novum that there had been 14 traffic jams with a total length of 61km by 9am on Friday.

The national police service KLPD put double the normal number of officers out on the motorways and roads to help keep the traffic moving on Friday.

The Netherlands experienced its second-worst day for traffic snarl-ups on Thursday due to snow falls and ice when about 63 traffic jams were recorded, measuring a combined length of 760km.

Some estimates placed the traffic jam length on Thursday at 860km and the A12 was closed for several hours on Thursday night following an accident.

The KNMI said Friday’s snow showers would be concentrated to the southwest of the line from Amsterdam to Eindhoven in the south of the country.

Clearer weather is expected in the rest of the country, but KNMI said the freezing conditions following a thawing of snow increased dangers of ice on the roads.

Train passengers hoping for good news after Thursday’s rail chaos got some as many services returned to normal. But trains heading to the south of the country and Belgium fell victim to the snow for a second day.

Heavy snow showers between the Dutch town of Roosendaal and Antwerp in Belgium prevented the intercity service from Amsterdam to Brussels from getting through.

Subject: Dutch News