The Netherlands woke up to a winter wonderland this morning, and by “wonderland” we mean utter travel chaos.
A code orange weather warning has been announced for large swathes of the country, with the Rijkswaterstaat literally telling Utrecht-area drivers to just… not.
However, that warning has not been heard it seems. Let’s break down the extent of the chaos.
Where does the code orange apply?
According to the NOS, Flevoland, Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe have joined North Holland, South Holland and Utrecht under the code orange alert level this morning. The warning period has been extended until noon.
What does code orange actually mean? It’s the KNMI’s way of saying “stay inside unless you absolutely must venture out”, with dangerous weather conditions likely to cause accidents and disruption.
More provinces could be upgraded to orange as conditions develop throughout the morning.
Transport carnage across the country
And so far? It’s not looking pretty. Public transport has essentially collapsed in several regions.
All buses have stopped running in Friesland and throughout Utrecht city. Other operators are warning passengers to expect widespread cancellations and delays.
Train services are in similar disarray. Switch malfunctions have hit eight different routes, causing reduced services and delays across the network.
- Heerhugowaard to Schagen: delays and fewer trains
- Zoetermeer to Den Haag Centraal: service disruption
- Harderwijk to Zwolle: delays and reduced service due to switch failure
- Lelystad Centrum to Zwolle: delays and fewer trains
- Almere Centrum to Lelystad Centrum: delays
- Utrecht Centraal to Driebergen-Zeist: fewer sprinters running
- Eindhoven to Sittard: delays from an earlier switch failure
Traffic jams stretch to 690 kilometres
The morning commute has also turned into an absolute nightmare for anyone travelling by car. By around 8 AM, nearly 700 kilometres of tailbacks clogged Dutch roads, making it the worst rush hour the country has seen in over a year.
Rijkswaterstaat warns that road conditions are worsening by the hour, and even their own gritting lorries and breakdown recovery teams are struggling to reach incidents. More congestion is expected as the day continues.
Utrecht and South Holland are bearing the brunt of it. Drivers on the A2 between Beesd and Utrecht face two-hour delays.
The A27 between Gorinchem and Utrecht has become completely gridlocked in both directions with similar wait times.
Schiphol chaos continues
It’s not just roads and rails feeling the freeze. The winter weather has been wreaking havoc at Schiphol Airport all weekend, with over 400 flights scrapped yesterday, according to NH Nieuws.
Reduced runway capacity from snowfall is the main culprit. Aircraft also need de-icing before departure, a process that can take up to half an hour per plane. The airport normally handles 50 to 60 flights per hour, but winter conditions have slashed that capacity.
KLM cancelled 73 flights on Saturday and 144 on Friday. Passengers have faced long queues at service desks trying to rebook their trips.
The airport expects similar disruptions today, with officials reviewing the situation every half-day as fresh snow continues to fall.
Stuck at home because the roads are impassable? At least you’ve got an excellent excuse to skip that Monday morning meeting.
Stay warm and tell us in the comments: did you brave the weather or sensibly stay inside?
