Buses need chains

Graz in the snow: winter came by for St. Nicholas

Herrengasse was atmospherically covered in snow.(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

It has been a long time coming, but now winter has arrived in the Styrian capital. And just in time for St. Nicholas.

It was only a brief pleasure when the heavens opened their floodgates in the late morning and the first snow of the year trickled down in thick flakes. After half an hour, the fun was over again - but the legacy will keep the people of Graz busy for some time to come.

A view from the "Steirerkrone" editorial office of the parish church, Schlossberg and clock tower(Bild: Steirerkrone)

It wasn't just a case of shoveling snow, but also a lot of patience on the roads. The Graz lines had to reschedule:

• Line 53 turned around in Oberandritz due to the snow, and from there a shuttle bus with snow chains ran to Stattegg/Fuß der Leber.

• Lines 48 and 60 have been fitted with snow chains, the 48 only runs as far as Thal-Kötschberg.

A streetcar on line 5 runs through the snow-covered Theodor-Körner-Straße.(Bild: Holding Graz/Watzinger)

There were major delays on the above-mentioned lines and some other inner-city connections.

Problems even on early morning services
Commuters were already put to a test of patience in the early morning traffic: Four vehicles crashed into each other on the A2 near Mooskirchen in the direction of Graz. The highway had to be completely closed in places, and the traffic jam persisted even after two lanes were opened. At the same time, there was an accident on the A9 near Hengsberg in the direction of Graz, which also led to a traffic jam.