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Netherlands Downgrades Icy Weather Alert as Freezing Rain Eases, Transport Restarts

Officials caution that a rapid thaw may reveal water damage despite improving travel conditions.

Overview

  • KNMI scaled warnings from code orange to code yellow through the morning, with Utrecht downgraded just after 07:00 and northern provinces following by late morning as slick patches persisted.
  • Bus operations are restarting in stages, with Qbuzz resuming services from 12:00 in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, U-OV/Transdev largely running to timetable in Utrecht, and Breng reporting mostly normal service with localized adjustments.
  • Trains run on an adjusted winter timetable as ProRail reports a planned start-up, with fewer services on some routes and temporary disruptions such as reduced Sprinters around Amersfoort and fewer regional trains between Arnhem and Doetinchem.
  • Emergency services handled numerous crashes on icy roads, including an overturned car on the A12 near Duiven, a jackknifed lorry on the A28 by Dwingeloo, and multiple incidents on the A37 and A50, though traffic volumes remained relatively low.
  • Rijkswaterstaat advised against non-essential travel and deployed 577 gritters, noting that rain diluted road salt overnight, and industry groups warned the coming thaw could expose burst pipes, gutter failures and other water-damage issues.