A severe cold wave disrupts travel and paralyzes transportation in Britain, France, and the Netherlands

Caused A severe cold wave is considered one of the most severe during the winter of this year, causing widespread disruption to travel in Britain and France and The Netherlands, where roads were closed, flights were suspended, and train trips, including Eurostar trains, were cancelled, after days of disruptions caused by a power outage.

Eurostar, which connects the United Kingdom to the European mainland, asked travelers between London and the Netherlands to postpone their trips, in light of the inability to operate trains after Brussels due to bad weather conditions. It also called on travelers in the Netherlands not to go to stations following the suspension of train traffic. There.

Six trains between St. Pancras International in London and the Gare du Nord in Paris were cancelled, while the rest of the flights witnessed major delays.
Train traffic through the Channel Tunnel had resumed on New Year’s Eve after a power outage led to delays for thousands of passengers, some of whom spent an entire night inside trains without electricity.

Paralysis on railways and roads

In Scotland, the British Railways deployed snow plows to remove accumulations amounting to 52 centimeters in the Tomintoul area near Inverness in the northeast of the country.

The Dutch Railways (NS) also announced a major disruption to train services, especially in the Amsterdam region, with the number of flights reduced today, Tuesday.

The British Meteorological Office issued warnings of snow and ice on Monday and Tuesday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, indicating that cold weather health alerts will continue in all regions of England until Friday.

Low temperatures were recorded, reaching minus 10.9 degrees Celsius in the Shab Highlands in northwest England, with expectations for it to drop again to minus 12 degrees above snow-covered areas.

School closures and flight disruption

The authorities announced the closure of 212 schools in Northern Ireland, in addition to dozens of schools in Scotland, Wales and northern England.

In the aviation sector, flights were canceled at Liverpool airports. Aberdeen, Inverness and Belfast, while airlines reduced their flights by 15% at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris due to heavy snowfall.

At Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, about 700 flights were cancelled, i.e. more than half of the flights scheduled for Monday, with cancellations expected to continue in the coming days.

Traffic and emergency warnings

In Paris, snow and ice disrupted the bus network. Stifling traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, while the French Meteorological Authority issued "Meteo France" An orange alert was issued in most parts of the northwest of the country, including the capital.

In Scotland, police warned against driving on closed roads, while the British Automobile Association (AA) announced that requests for roadside assistance had increased by 40% compared to a normal day.

Belfast Zoo was also closed due to bad weather conditions, amid similar snow and ice warnings throughout Ireland.

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