Travel Resumes in Europe After Most Powerful Storm in 11 Years

Travel is beginning to resume in Western Europe today after a deadly storm ripped through the region, halting air travel throughout much of the area and long-distance trains in Germany. At least 11 people were killed by the storm, which brought winds topping 90mph. In Germany, it was the most powerful storm to hit for 11 years.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reports that it expects a normal day of operations today. The airport had shut down Thursday due to the high winds before resuming later in the day. Travelers are advised to allow extra time at the airport, as the number of cancellations and rebookings Thursday will mean continued crowds at the airport today.

The BBC reports that three people died in the Netherlands during the storm as it brought down trees and power lines.

The Guardian reports that the storm also forced a halt to the Dutch national railway service for most of the morning, and that service could take hours to restore. Belgium also stopped high-speed train service into the Netherlands and Germany.

According to Deustche Welle, the storm forced rail and air traffic in Germany to shut down, and killed eight people in the country. Regional and some long-distance trains have resumed service as of Friday, although repair work is still needed on at least 200 sections of track to clear fallen trees and other debris.

“The first long-distance trains are en route,” a Duetsche Bahn spokesperson told DW. “We expect that in the course of the morning, all large cities will be able to be reached wit long-distance trains – with some restrictions.”

The travel waivers issued by many airlines over the past two days are no longer in effect for customers scheduled to fly today.

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