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Regional trains at Munich Central Station: Journeys are to be slowly resumed
Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / dpa
After the severe onset of winter, Deutsche Bahn is gradually and sporadically resuming long-distance operations at Munich Central Station, according to a spokeswoman on Sunday.
This will initially apply to the Munich–Nuremberg and Munich–Stuttgart routes, in both directions. However, fewer trains are in operation, and it is not possible to guarantee that they will be taken along, it said.
Passengers should check the status of their respective connections before starting their journey and postpone non-essential train journeys to Tuesday or later if possible, the spokeswoman said. According to Deutsche Bahn, no regular train service to and from Munich will be possible until Monday.
Heavy snowfall on Saturday night had largely paralyzed rail traffic in large parts of southern Germany. Snow-covered trains could not run, trees collapsed under the weight of snow blocked tracks, overhead lines were icy.
On Sunday, the situation eased somewhat. On walking paths, toboggan slopes and ski slopes, numerous people were out and about in bright sunshine.
Snow ploughs on the streets, zoo is closed
The airport of the Bavarian capital had resumed operations in the early morning - but around 560 of about 880 planned flights are still to be cancelled on Sunday. Passengers were asked to check the status of their flight before travelling. The »Süddeutsche Zeitung« reports on long queues at service counters in the airport.
In Munich's city centre, snow ploughs pushed snow off the streets. Some buses ran again on Sunday. S-Bahn traffic continued to be severely restricted. In the course of the day, the first tram lines are to be served again if possible.
Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich and Augsburg Zoo remained closed after heavy snowfall on Sunday. At Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen, on the other hand, regular visitor operations were possible at the weekend.
From Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony, traffic accidents due to slippery roads were reported on Sunday, but according to the information, no one was seriously injured.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) nevertheless warned on Sunday of "large amounts of wet snow that are currently weighing on the trees". Breaking branches or falling ice, as well as trees that give way under the load, endangered motorists and pedestrians. He thanked the emergency services.
Power outages in Bavaria and Austria
After trees fell on power lines on Saturday, thousands of households, especially in Upper and Lower Bavaria, had no electricity. On Sunday, the repair work was still ongoing, according to a spokesman for Bayernwerk Netz in Regensburg.
In Austria, on the other hand, at least 20,000 households were still without electricity after intense snowfall on Sunday, according to energy suppliers. In Styria, a high-voltage pylon had collapsed, which led to power outages in parts of the province. The utility Energie Steiermark reported 265 failed stations on Sunday morning.
Thousands of households in Upper Austria on the German border also had to make do without electricity. After the failure of mobile phone stations, it was also not possible to make calls with mobile phones regionally in Styria, as the authorities announced.
Further fresh snow should initially fail to materialise in large parts of Bavaria on Sunday. Only in the eastern low mountain ranges and in the Alps several centimetres of fresh snow were expected. Snow showers are still expected on the Baltic Sea, as well as on the Lower Rhine from Sunday evening. In the night to Monday, snowfall should spread from North Rhine-Westphalia to the North Sea, in the course of Monday there should be first snow and later rain from the west. For some areas, the German Weather Service expected it to be slippery.
kko/dpa