Some 3,000 sleep at Schiphol, driving difficult on icy roads

Some 3,000 people spent the night at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport as heavy snow brought air travel to a standstill.


The airport had put up 1,700 camp beds and other people slept on chairs and benches, a spokesman told news agency ANP.
Some passengers were stranded because of cancelled flights, others were unable to leave the airport because of public transport difficulties.
Delays
Many Saturday morning flights have been delayed or cancelled and Schiphol expects problems to continue for much of the day. This is partly due to bad weather elsewhere in Europe, the airport’s website said.
More heavy snow is expected to fall in Zeeland and Limburg on Saturday but there could be a light dusting nationwide, the KNMI weather bureau said.
Temperatures will remain below zero all day, making driving on snow-covered roads particularly hazardous.
Tow trucks
Tow trucks were out all night bringing home stranded vehicles, some of which had been abandoned by their owners, ANP said.
The A9 near Castricum remained congested until well after midnight.
Trains running
Dutch Rail (NS) says passengers are being faced by longer journey times and busier trains than normal but that services are running to an adapted timetable nationwide.
International trains are not affected.

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