Due to Thursday's freezing rain, trams in Tallinn have been running without a fixed schedule. At the time of writing, all trams were stationary.
Tallinn City Transport warns that bus services may also be delayed due to bad weather.
Andrei Novikov, a member of the board of Tallinn City Transport, said that the trams stopped at 15:30. He stated that some trams stop for 5 minutes, others for up to an hour. "The problems may last until 18:00," Novikov said.
Novikov explained that freezing rain covers the tram's electric line with ice. This causes electrical problems. "The new trams need to restart their electronics," he said.
Older trams perform better. Currently, one old tram is used to clean the lines. This tram drives through all the lines and removes the ice.
Novikov said that freezing rain affects the entire city's traffic. There are more accidents. This may also cause delays in buses.
Bad weather conditions are causing problems elsewhere in Estonia. Strong winds and snow are making traffic difficult in Ida- and Lääne-Viru County. Visibility is poor and roads are slippery.
Therefore, the Transport Department has established special rules. These are valid until 21:00 in the evening.