Dutch railway operators ProRail and NS have devised a plan which they hope will keep the railways open for some services in case of extreme wintry weather.

When excessive amounts of snow and ice are forecast – which means code red and at least six centimetres of snow – the entire railway network shuts down because the points are vulnerable to freezing.

The new emergency service plan would keep 8% of the points operational and that means 15% of train services could continue. The focus will be on sprinters and stop trains, and intercity and international services would still be halted.

The trains would be reserved for people with “essential jobs” so that they can get to their place of work, NS said. All other rail users would be asked not to travel by train and stay home.

The system can also be adapted to cope with severe weather in certain regions rather than the whole country, NS said.