High-speed rail in the Netherlands
overview of the high-speed rail system in the Netherlands
High-speed rail service in the Netherlands started in 2009 with the opening of the dedicated HSL-Zuid, which connects the Randstad via Brussels to the rest of the European high-speed rail network. In later years improved traditional rail sections were added to the high-speed network. Proposals for more dedicated high-speed lines were deemed too costly; plans for the HSL-Oost to Germany were mothballed and instead of the Zuiderzeelijn the less ambitious Hanzelijn was built to enable future high-speed service between the northern provinces and the Randstad.
As of 2025, four high-speed train services are operative in the Netherlands: Intercity Express (ICE), Eurostar, the Eurocity Direct and the domestic Intercity Direct that replaced the short-lived Fyra service, which was cancelled in 2013 after severe reliability issues.
History
As early as 1973, the Den Uyl cabinet discussed a high-speed railway line in the Netherlands. It was not until 1988 that the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) started three HSL projects, namely HSL-Zuid, HSL-Oost, and HSL-Noord (Zuiderzeelijn). The overall plan, called Rail 21, was approved in 1989, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the first railway in the Netherlands (1839). HSL-Zuid was constructed between 2000 and 2006, and began operating in 2009. HSL-Oost was cancelled in 2001, HSL-Noord was cancelled in 2007. The Hanzelijn (constructed 2006–2012) partially took over HSL-Noord's role in connecting the west and north of the country through Lelystad and Zwolle, and has been built to be eventually upgraded to 200 km/h (120 mph), but so far trains on this track are not running at high speeds yet.
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