Hundreds of passengers stranded as snow and ice disrupt travel across Europe

More than 1,000 stranded passengers spent the night at Amsterdam’s international airport as snow and ice that is pummelling parts of Europe grounded hundreds of flights and choked roads and railways.

In Paris, a skier slid along the snowy bank of the Seine river and roads and parks around the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were blanketed in snow, which also snarled traffic in parts of France, on Wednesday.

There was good news for some Berlin residents during the cold snap as power was being restored to thousands of households in the German capital that had been without electricity in freezing temperatures for four days following a suspected far-left attack on high-voltage lines, authorities said.

Schiphol Airport, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, set up hundreds of field beds overnight and served breakfast to weary travellers as staff worked to clear snow from runways and de-ice airplanes.

At least 800 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at the airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs.

National airline KLM said that lines at the airport were decreasing, in part because passengers were warned on time that their flights were cancelled, so they did not head to the airport.

The Dutch rail and road networks were also hard hit by fresh snowfall during the morning rush hour and more squalls later in the day.

Rail operator NS urged travellers to “delay your journey if possible”.

It warned of fewer trains operating as problems caused by the snow and icy temperatures in the Netherlands hit train travel harder than expected.

Both domestic and international trains were affected, NS said.

Drivers braving the snowy conditions did not fare much better, with more than 700 kilometres of traffic jams clogging the country’s roads as trucks slid across highways and slow-moving snow plows cleared the roads.

France’s national weather service, Meteo France, said large parts of northern and western France, including the Paris region, were on alert for snow and black ice.

French authorities advised people to work from home and avoid using their cars in the snow-hit regions.

Trucks and school buses were banned from using the roads.

Bus traffic was suspended in Paris on Wednesday morning.

Transport minister Philippe Tabarot said that more than 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and about 40 others at Paris Orly airport.

French railway company SNCF warned passengers about disruptions and delays because of weather conditions, saying that “snow on the tracks is forcing us to limit train speed and cancel trains or adjust traffic”.

Eurostar trains between Paris, London and Brussels were also being delayed.

Even countries more accustomed to harsh winter weather reported problems as the snowy snap endured over large parts of Europe.

There was heavy snow in western Sweden, and authorities in Goteborg took all the city’s trams out of service on Wednesday morning because of the weather, broadcaster SVT reported.

Snow banks churned up by passing trams posed a risk to other traffic.

Difficulties starting diesel buses that had been standing in the cold over the holidays and poor driving conditions led to bus cancellations and delays in the Helsinki area, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported.