Travel services in Europe resume as temperature rise

Travel disruptions in the UK continue to ease, as rail stations and airports resume services following sub-zero weather conditions earlier this week.

Eurostar said that the trains are now perfectly running all the way through the Channel Tunnel after a three-day service cancellation and that the build-up of passengers from the weekend has been cleared. Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, is now open and has its runways cleared.

The Met Office however still continues to issue weather warnings for widespread icy roads in several parts of the UK.

The Automobile Association informed that 2009 is its busiest year in a decade. It has attended about 18,000 calls per day compared to last year’s average 8,500. The auto club further said that it has dealt with 116,000 car breakdowns since 18 December.

In other parts of Europe, Frankfurt Airport informed that its flights are now taking off on time. Berlin Airport reported as well that the majority of its flights are already leaving and arriving on schedule.

In Milan, airport operator SEA said that there are still delays at Malpensa Airport, where it snowed all through the night. However, flights are as usual at Linate Airport, the city’s smaller air terminal.

Airports in Paris are back as well to normal, as the city temperature rise above freezing point. Earlier this week, Parisian airports Orly and Charles de Gaulle had asked airline companies to cancel at least one-third of their short-haul flight service.

A major rail line in Paris is however running at limited service because of a strike.