Snow and freezing temperatures continue to affect services to the Channel Tunnel rail passengers, while airport operators say travelers tend to have more breaks in the tracks reopened across Europe.
Eurostar Group Ltd. plans to operate a "significant reduction" calendar until at least Dec. 5 and has halted all sales of tickets to next week, said on its website. London Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest, opened this morning after being closed since 30 November. Passengers should expect delays and cancellations, according to the website of the airport.
The unusually cold weather caused a major disruption of air transportation in Europe since the eruption of the volcano in Iceland in April Eyjafjallajökull land of 100,000 flights in six days. Eurostar is changing the schedule to avoid a repeat of last winter's freeze, in which five trains carrying 2,000 people stuck in the Channel Tunnel after the snow with disabilities in your electrical system, with 90,000 more stranded in stations.
"We have been warning that the journey is interrupted over the weekend," said Leigh Calder, a spokesman for Eurostar, by telephone. "The snow in Kent is quite extraordinary. If the trip is essential that they are advising clients not to do. Quite a lot of people are left out."
Revised list
Eurostar scrapped 17 services, six fewer than yesterday, and said today that 38 continues to operate may be delayed for 1 1 / 2 hours. The company plans to publish its revised schedule for tomorrow at about 4 pm today and customers should check the website before going to the stations, "said Calder. Eurostar has drastically cut services after the speed limit of 300 kilometers per hour (186 mph) just 160 kilometers per hour.
Trains canceled today, including six from London to Paris and five in the other direction, plus three in each direction between the capital of the United Kingdom and Brussels. While ticket holders may obtain a refund or rebooking, no new entries are available until at least December 6.
At Gatwick, about 1,200 flights were canceled more than 48 hours. The airport normally attracts about 70,000 passengers a day at this time of year, CEO Stewart Wingate, said yesterday.
"We had tickets to fly out of Gatwick on Wednesday, but said it was canceled," said UK resident Jamie Wigley, 33, who was to get married in Barbados today. "Although the airport is open, flights are going full, and our company can not tell us when the next available."
Delays, cancellations
BAA Ltd. said London's Heathrow airport was operating normally, but had delays and cancellations due to disruption elsewhere. The company advised passengers using Edinburgh airport to contact their airlines before traveling. Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is expected to be closed until 05 December, according to its website. Airports in Geneva, London, Dublin and Belfast yesterday resumed operations.
The first widespread snowfall in the United Kingdom since 1993 has disrupted road and rail traffic, with very low temperatures and widespread ice likely to last into next week, according to the Met Office.
The government has "great concerns" about the supply of gasoline, diesel fuel and food, spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron, Vickie Sheriff, told reporters in London today.
Economic impact
Any impact of severe weather conditions in the UK economy will be largely shaped by early summer, the Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd., said in an emailed statement. However, up to 1,000 additional companies may run out of cash this winter as the recession has put more companies "near the edge of bankruptcy," he said.
CEBR estimated that the interruption of the time could cost the economy about 1 billion pounds ($ 1,570,000,000) per day, while the German economy, where construction activity is sensitive to climate, may be more severely affected.
Green South Railway Group Ltd. Plc, which operates commuter services from the southeast of England in London, will run a reduced service on a limited number of routes from now until 21:00 local time with snow and ice that covers much of the corporate network in the south said on its website today. Passengers can expect shorter trains on some routes.
South West Trains Stagecoach Group Plc, the largest British passenger, said the services run out of London Waterloo to most destinations, subject to delays. canceled services include Salisbury to Bristol and Hampton Court.
Germany, France
state rail operations in Germany Deutsche Bahn AG ran relatively well this morning, as the situation "significantly reduced", said spokeswoman Kathrin Fellenberg. The operator expects to improve further today when the trains are still facing delays, especially in northern and eastern Germany.
Traffic at Frankfurt Airport is running smoothly, "without disruption to aviation" in it, Thomas Uber, a spokesman for operator Fraport AG said. Of the 44 canceled flights so far today, caused by the weather, "not because of problems in Frankfurt, but in other" airports, Uber said.
French high speed train network was running a full schedule today, although there are small delays due to temporary speed limits in areas of the network still under snow, Julie Vion-Broussailles, a spokesman national SNCF, said by telephone.
Lyon airport, which was closed to flights in poor visibility due to earlier this week, was opened today. The passengers were to check their flights before leaving operator Aeroports de Lyon, said in a message on his website. Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were operating normally.
Freezing temperatures and blowing snow has claimed 28 lives across Central Europe this week, according to Agence France-Presse. Two pensioners were found dead in separate incidents in Cumbria this week, the Press Association reported.
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