Despite being such a small country, train travel times to the north of the Netherlands can take up to three hours from Amsterdam. But, a plan to make the region more accessible is gaining traction. 👀
The Lelylijn, a proposed high-speed rail connection between Groningen and the Randstad is becoming more popular, says RTL Nieuws.
Lelylijn: the fastest train line
The train line is intended to run from the northern city of Groningen through Friesland and Flevoland towards Randstad cities such as Amsterdam.
READ MORE | What is the Randstad? The complete explainer
With a maximum of 200 kilometres per hour, the Lelylijn would shorten the travel time from Groningen to Amsterdam by 40 minutes. Echt snel!
The proposed railway would also connect to cities Drachten and Emmeloord with new stations.
New residential areas in exchange
The Lelylijn is part of the “Deltaplan for the Netherlands”, intended to make working and living in the north of the country more attractive. The project has been in lobbying for four years but it gained more recognition last year.
In April 2021, the provinces announced they would build 220,000 more homes to combat the housing shortage. In exchange, they wanted a faster rail connection to the Randstad.
The Dutch cabinet set up an organisation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe to investigate what the Lelylijn should look like.
READ MORE | Provinces in the Netherlands: the easy guide
The Lelylijn would also connect to international train connections such as Belgium, Germany, and Scandinavia.
Not without dispute
Of course, the project comes with a few logistical concerns. It is unclear how the route will run — what type of trains will run, how fast they will run, how often these trains will depart from their respective stations, and who will bear the costs.
The railway is expected to cost between €6 to €9 billion in total, with a provisional subsidy of €3 billion in a coalition agreement with the Dutch government.
There are also environmental and landscape impacts to consider, especially when building the new rail lines across the country.
The House of Representatives Committee on Infrastructure and Water Management will continue to debate large infrastructure projects in hopes the timeline and feasibility of the project will become clearer.
What do you think of the Lelylijn? Would you use it? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
What’s up with this headline? There are already direct trains from Groningen to the Randstad…
This is a good idea but even better would be to have train access across The Afsluitdijk. It’s not an easy task to implement, admittedly, but where there is a Will there is a Way.