North and central Germany: freezing rain and snow impede traffic

The great start to winter has hit parts of Germany, but did not meet the fears of rescue services and meteorologists. Two federal states in particular are affected. Many trains do not work, there have been several accidents.

In North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in particular, the arrival of winter has led to numerous road accidents and breakdowns in local and long-distance traffic. According to the police, there have been 222 accidents due to weather in North Rhine-Westphalia alone since Saturday afternoon. Two people were seriously injured and 26 were slightly injured.

There was also heavy snowfall in Lower Saxony. The highway police announced that the night was still relatively quiet. Cleaning and cleaning vehicles for motorway maintenance depots are increasingly used in southern Lower Saxony.

Train cancellations on the railway

In long-distance rail traffic there are significant restrictions due to heavy snowfall. There are currently no trains between Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia or Hamburg and Hannover, Deutsche Bahn announced. There are restrictions between Hamburg and Berlin. The Leipzig / Halle region does not have long-distance traffic either.

In advance, Deutsche Bahn had canceled several long-distance connections in northern Germany due to weather conditions, including the Intercitys from Bremen to Norddeich Mole. On the route between Hamburg via Rostock and Binz on the island of Rügen, train traffic is severely restricted. Intercity trains should only run sporadically.

In many federal states there are restrictions on regional traffic. In Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, train traffic is affected by heavy snowfall, Deutsche Bahn said. In NRW, several cities and districts even completely stopped bus traffic, such as Münster and Dortmund.

The situation in the train stations is calm. Most of the people followed the recommendation of the German Weather Service and stayed home.

Accommodation options for stranded travelers

In several cities, the railway has arranged accommodation for stranded travelers. In this way, one is prepared in Hamburg, Hannover, Münster, Kassel and Leipzig if customers can no longer reach their destination by train, a spokeswoman said. The service personnel at the stations have also been reinforced. Also, they want to help travelers with taxi coupons so they possibly get to their destination after all.

Anyone who is affected by breakdowns during the weekend or has to postpone the trip can use the tickets in the next few days or cancel them for free. Deutsche Bahn provides information on train connections and cancellations on its website, via the app or by calling 0180/6996633.