The wintry weather caused massive problems in Bavarian traffic on Wednesday and Thursday with freezing rain and cold. In addition to the flight cancellations at Munich Airport, there were also numerous disruptions and accidents in rail traffic and on the roads.
Due to the risk of ice from freezing rain, planes were temporarily unable to take off and land at Munich Airport on Wednesday. Around 150 flights were canceled and 26 were diverted, a spokesman for the airport told the German Press Agency. Only in the evening could both runways be fully released again.
Deutsche Bahn also had to completely stop regional traffic on Wednesday between Munich and Buchloe due to the weather. Several regional trains operated by the Go-Ahead railway company were stranded because of the black ice, some even on the open line. “We can therefore currently only maintain operations on the Memmingen – Lindau route and had to temporarily suspend all other routes,” said a statement from Go-Ahead. The British company only started operations in Swabia when the timetable changed last Sunday.
There are also problems with train traffic on Thursday, especially in Swabia
The problems continued on Thursday. Because trains were damaged as a result of the freezing rain, train operations are only reduced, the company said. Among other things, trains on the Augsburg – Munich and Augsburg – Ulm routes are canceled. In the Augsburg network in particular, the vehicles were “not up to the ice”.
The sometimes mirror-smooth streets also posed dangers for cars, cyclists and pedestrians. The zoo in Augsburg closed on Wednesday due to slippery conditions and broken ice, and the city of Munich closed its cemeteries. The Munich fire brigade wrote on Twitter: “Please avoid unnecessary trips and walks.”
Numerous accidents with injuries also occurred on Bavarian roads. The police headquarters in Upper Bavaria North reported on Thursday morning around 220 traffic accidents within 24 hours. “In many cases, the cause of the accident was, in addition to snow and ice, speed not adapted to the road and weather conditions,” said the authority. Around 30 people were injured. On the main road between Olching and Oberschleißheim, a 23-year-old died after crashing his car head-on into oncoming traffic. He died at the scene of the accident.
More than a dozen accidents involving 23 vehicles occurred on Autobahns 9 and 99 near Munich. Overall, the damage was around 120,000 euros. One person was slightly injured, the Freising police said.
The A 8 had to be completely closed early Thursday morning after a truck accident on a snow-covered road. The truck had started to sway near Odelzhausen in the Dachau district, whereupon the truck trailer overturned. The driver was not injured in the accident, a police spokesman said. A detour was set up, but drivers would also have to expect waiting times there due to the weather conditions, the spokesman said.
In Lower Bavaria, the police reported 20 accidents with five injuries on Wednesday afternoon. There were also traffic delays due to vehicles stuck in the snow and standing across.
Two school buses collide in Franconia
Two were injured late Wednesday afternoon in an accident involving two school buses and a car in Lauf an der Pegnitz (Nuremberg Land district). A school bus with 15 children could not stop in time on a slippery road and touched an already stationary school bus with 22 children. A side window shattered, the flying splinters hit and injured a 13-year-old. As a result, according to the police, the bus got into the flow of traffic, where it collided with another vehicle. An 18-year-old passenger suffered moderate injuries. Both were taken to the hospital.
The German Weather Service expects black ice at temperatures of three to minus five degrees Celsius until Thursday morning. It loosens up towards Friday: In Franconia there would even be sun at times. Temperatures in Bavaria will remain below zero even at the weekend.