The freezing cold of the past few days is the cause of a defect in the track towards Meppel. This was announced by rail manager ProRail.
Therefore, fewer trains run between Meppel and Zwolle throughout the day. “When it is very cold, the rails shrink a little bit,” says a ProRail spokesperson. “Then a kind of fracture can occur. That is also the case here now.”
According to ProRail, trains can still run on the track, but must reduce their speed considerably on the section where the defect is located. “There is a speed limit of 10 kilometers per hour at the location of the rupture. It is only a very small distance, but this means fewer trains run.”
To repair the break, the track from Zwolle to Meppel, but also in the opposite direction, must be out of service. “That is why the break will be repaired tonight, when there are no trains running anyway.”