Britain’s beleaguered flight and rail operations rebounded on Thursday after days of snow related delays as Heathrow Airport and Eurostar said most services were running normally. Delays also eased throughout Europe despite fresh snow in some places.
Cleanup efforts in the hard-hit greater London area were aided by a slight rise in temperature that caused much of the ice to melt, easing pressure on rail lines and airfields.
Officials at London’s Heathrow Airport said both runways were fully operational and “most” flights would operate, but passengers were urged to check online and contact their airlines for updates before leaving for the airport.
Eurostar also reported a general improvement in its rail system linking England to France and Belgium and said a “near normal” service would operate on Thursday after several days of delays.
Passengers were told not to come to London’s St. Pancras station early because they would only be allowed on the train they had reserved no matter what time they turned up at the station.
Train operators said they were likely to reduce services in Britain by about 25 percent as a result of the cold conditions.
Motoring organizations said millions of drivers would make Christmas holiday journeys over the next two days, likely snarling roads across the country.
A night storm dumped loads of snow on most of Denmark, hampering road, rail, and air traffic with up to six inches (15 centimeters) of snow.
Worst hit is the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm where police on Thursday urged people to stay indoors. In the southern part of country, the Danish army mobilized armoured personnel carriers to help ambulances and other emergency vehicles make their way through the snow.
Copenhagen airport - the Nordic region’s largest with 19,7 million passengers in 2009 - was open and reported a few delays.
