That is why I am wondering if they're overhyping it or not. But my impression is that they go into chaos over a few centimetres of snow (not over a long-term, but when it falls).
It still doesn't explain why... conductors operating a train weighing thousands of tonnes freak out over a "dusting" on the railway tracks. I figured the signalling system is not cold-resistant. It does go below freezing in southeastern England a few years per year, so it's a normal thing. Getting signallings to be slightly more resistance by a few more degrees C isn't much of an extra expense.
But as you've said, privatization may be a factor getting silly railway services.
An investment in snow chains might be better than spending a few hundreds of pounds getting your car towed out of a ditch after slipping on a patch of ice. And if you're unlucky enough, a few more hundreds of pounds to get your bent-tire realigned. I know your snow ends up as slush (mix of wate and ice) and it seems not to uncommon. Black ice (clear ice on wet black road not not easy to be visible), especially at night. I hit one of those at 25 mph and slammed my car to the curb. Bent the tire. What seemed to be a minor repair turned out to be a $2000 one because the metal frame under the engine got bent as well. Sadly, my dad deemed the car unworthy to fix and dumped it at a mechanic shop. I was very pissed off because he had no right to give up the car under my name and so on. He lied to me about it too. I'm still bitter because even after four years, I'm still without my own car. I would've had it fixed myself if it means to preserve my mobility not restricted by my parents (when they let me use their cars, conditions apply... ).
I heard many arguments, several of which seem plausiable. Weather-predicting is still an inexact science and it's sometimes a pain to know whether if the forcasters are talking out of their ass or not.
I know it's sweet to justify a day off from work and enjoy a day of rest, but it might not look for those working at a company undergoing a workforce reduction in this time of economic difficulty. Showing up to work when 1/4 of the employees didn't do so give you character and putting work as one of your priorities. I'll have to say, hopefully those companies won't have to look at "*Blizzard* of 2008 Attendence List" as a factor whether to lay off an employee or not. Even public workers from Whitehall refused to walk a couple blocks to the House of Commons for work. Now c'mon... :s
+++++
Since everyone is showing off snowtrucks...
Montreal's snow-removal equipements.
Sidewalk plowers. It's my dream to drive one of those babies.
Baddest of all snowblowers.
Then we have graders, snow plows with salting capacity, salthing trucks, bulldozers, and dump trucks going up to 50 feet long and 10-12 feet high.