BERLIN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Freezing rain and heavy snowfall disrupted transport across Germany on Monday, forcing Berlin to suspend tram services and causing an increase in road accidents in several states.
Berlin's public transport operator BVG said tram services had been halted since 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Monday after persistent overnight freezing rain quickly iced up overhead power lines, forcing trams to stop mid-route.
"This is an unprecedented situation; we have never experienced anything like this before," a BVG spokesperson said, adding that the suspension will remain in place indefinitely.
Icing affected tram tracks as well, BVG said, leaving around 40 trams stranded across the network by noon. Drivers were waiting inside the vehicles for safety reasons, some for hours, the operator added.
Winter weather also led to more road accidents in northeastern Germany, with disruptions reported in states including Saxony, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. German media outlet FOCUS Online said that police recorded more than 120 accidents between midnight and morning on Monday in the state of Saxony.
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said snow, ice and wintry conditions had caused restrictions and cancellations to long-distance services, affecting southern Germany and routes to and from Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover.
German news agency dpa said the snow front reached southwestern Germany on Sunday evening, with some areas recording up to 25 cm of fresh snow. The country's weather service forecast further snowfall in many regions later on Monday, easing gradually, with continued frosty conditions. ■