EUROPE:
Storms wreak havoc on Europe's railways
Tuesday, December 28, 1999
Gales
which swept across Europe over the Christmas holiday period created havoc
on the continent's rail network.
France bore the brunt of the storms which battered Europe on Sunday and Monday.
Damage to infrastructure was severe with overhead power lines particularly
affected. Many thousands of passengers' travel plans were disrupted as they
faced delays, cancellations and complete suspension of service in some areas.
- France:
SNCF cancelled virtually all train services through northern France on
Sunday, leaving tens of thousands of angry Christmas travellers stranded
in stations. The high winds also forced authorities to shut seven of the
city's 14 Metro lines as well as nearly all commuter train services to
and from the suburbs.
- Germany:
state railways, Deutsche Bahn, say 13 lines in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria
and Rhineland-Palatinate are closed, with storm damage estimated at millions
of marks.
- Switzerland:
Many road and rail links were closed for at least part of the day - Swiss
Federal Railways said that 66 rail routes were affected. Two people were
killed at the ski resort of Crans Montana, when a tree crashed into a
ski lift cable and sent their gondola crashing to the ground.
- Spain:
the rail service between Madrid and Paris was suspended - one train returned
to Madrid after encountering difficult conditions in northern Spain.
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This
file last updated: Tuesday, 28-Dec-1999 21:11:14 EST