- The persistent snowfall has led to traffic problems in Switzerland and there have been numerous accidents.
- Around 40 flights were also canceled. Passengers must expect delays and cancellations at Zurich Airport.
- Rail traffic had to be temporarily interrupted in several cantons.
The heavy snowfall threw the Räthische Bahn (RhB) out of sync: several routes on the railway in the canton of Graubünden were interrupted on Saturday morning or only accessible to a limited extent. The problems have now been resolved.
Legend:
White awakening, here in Zurich.
KEYSTONE/Michael Buholzer
Regional rail transport was also interrupted in the Bern region; the S-Bahn lines Bern-Schwarzenburg and Belp-Thun were affected. In the Lucerne region, a tree fell on the tracks of the Langnau iE – Lucerne line between Wolhusen and Schachen LU. According to SBB’s Railinfo, the disruptions have now been resolved.
Because of the heavy snowfall, the road from Frutigen to Adelboden had to be closed. In addition, the old Adelbodenstrasse – Elsigbachstrasse remains closed until further notice for safety reasons. The regional management body said that a diversion via the old Adelbodenstrasse was therefore not possible. The avalanche specialists are working with the cantonal road inspectorate and the Frutigen fire department in order to be able to take the necessary measures.
Over 120 accidents in Bern and Zurich alone
A total of more than 120 accidents have occurred on snow-covered roads in the cantons of Bern and Zurich in the past 24 hours. In most accidents there was only sheet metal damage. In the canton of Bern, the cantonal police have registered 60 traffic accidents since Friday morning, and there were injuries in eight accidents, as the Berne cantonal police said on request on Saturday morning. There were another 60 reports of trees falling on the road. The Bernese Oberland, the Emmental and the Oberaargau were particularly affected. The road between Frutigen and Adelboden has been passable again since midday.
In the same period, the Zurich canton police and the municipal police registered 71 traffic accidents in the canton (excluding the cities of Zurich and Winterthur). People were only injured in one accident, it was said upon request.
There were already nine accidents in Chur the evening before.
The pedestrians were all injured while crossing a pedestrian crossing, as the Chur city police announced. A driver was also slightly injured. In the other accidents there was only material damage.
Flight cancellations and delays in Zurich
The snow is also causing problems at Zurich Airport. Around 40 flights were canceled. Delays must also be expected, as the airport announced on Twitter. Passengers should reconfirm their flights with the airlines.
Among other things, Swiss flights to Brussels, London, Berlin and Munich, which was particularly affected by the snow, were canceled. The closure of Munich Airport has been extended until Sunday at 6 a.m. There were also significant restrictions in Frankfurt.
Legend:
The situation around Munich was particularly precarious.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Lukas Barth
The onset of winter also caused chaos elsewhere, especially in Germany and the Czech Republic. The Munich airport stand still. And at least until Sunday morning. Rail traffic in the region has also come to a standstill.
Train traffic to and from Munich main station is suspended until further notice. In some cases, passengers even had to spend the night on trains. In addition, fallen trees led to power outages in numerous houses.
Likewise in Czech Republic. More than 15,000 households are affected. The situation on the streets is no better. Accidents led to kilometers of traffic jams and closed sections of road.
When asked, airport media spokeswoman Elena Stern said that the winter service had been busy clearing snow all night long. There were also delays. Because the planes had to be de-iced. This takes 20 to 40 minutes each time. “The snowfall leads to additional effort,” says Stern. On Saturday night there was 15 centimeters of fresh snow in Zurich-Kloten.
Legend:
The closed Allianz Arena in Munich.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Sven Hoppe
Winter has the south of Germany firmly in its grip. In football, the Bundesliga game between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin had to be canceled. Because of the turf heating in the stadium, the main issue was not about the usability of the pitch, but rather about the safety and, above all, the travel of the spectators, some of whom come to Munich from further away.
In Austria, too, two Bundesliga games scheduled for Saturday were canceled due to massive snowfall.
In Switzerland, two Super League games also had to be canceled: the Winterthur-FC Zurich and St. Gallen-Yverdon games scheduled for this weekend have been postponed.