Massive snowfall suspends tram, light rail services in Helsinki

Massive snowfall across the country from Monday night disrupted transport communications at different places on Tuesday.

All tram and light rail 15 services in the capital region were cancelled on Tuesday due to the adverse weather, said the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (Helsingin seudun liikenne – HSL) in a press release.

The disruption took place due to ice on overhead wires following freezing rain. There were also problems with switches.

The authorities introduced replacement bus services at different routes during the disruption.

Many HSL bus services experienced delays or cancellations, and some commuter trains operated on reduced service.

The tram services, however, resumed gradually in the afternoon from 1:45pm.

Meanwhile, country´s airports operator Finavia reported flight delays and cancellations due to the adverse weather conditions.

In addition to Helsinki, other cities in southern Finland, including Turku, experienced disruptions in bus services due to a snowstorm on Tuesday morning. Some buses veered off roads and ended up in ditches, reported Xinhua, quoting national broadcaster Yle.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute reported that between Monday morning and Tuesday morning, 10 to 20 centimeters of snow fell in the southern and southwestern parts of the country.

Matti Huutonen, a meteorologist at the Finnish national broadcaster Yle, noted that the temperature in southern Finland has dropped to a freezing point, starkly contrasting the typical springtime temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius or higher.