Interesting. So they have a few options to run services to the south then. Either all lines go on the new alignment or the old alignment gets the service to either Nieuwegein or IJsselstein?

Yes in the planning phase. Budget also not completely sorted yet. Originally budgeted to cost €1.2B, now funded 50% but planning showed €1.2B is not enough to fund any of the alternatives

From the documents I have seen so far they are actually proposing getting rid of the Light-Rail alignment between Centraal and Westraven and completely replacing it with this grade-separated new alignment.

See this image from a report from last year

Yes, the main reason to build it is to enable the development of the new Groot-Merwede and Rijnenburg districts totalling ~70.000 new homes. It would also speed up and alleviate congestion on the lines to IJsselstein and Nieuwegein

The Merwedelijn (dotted red) runs basically parallel to the existing southern leg of the Utrecht light-rail (solid red). It will be fully grade separated either underground or elevated. The decision is yet to be made what design they choose.

nieuwegein.bestuurlijkeinformatie.nl/Document/Vie...

Good news for a country that often forgets to invest in local transit especially in new neighbourhoods.

The same package (total €2.5B) also includes lots of funding for other mobility improvements to new-built neighbourhoods.

Have fun! I recommend the Khlong high-speed canal boats if you haven't taken those yet.

Wrote a little transit blog after my visit this summer: www.hugovdthusen.com/ride-guide/a...

Die nieuwe "dark mode" borden zien er goed uit

Never though about "stemmen" (voting) literally meaning "voicing" which I think is really cool!

We probably don't have enough trees in NL to make all those huge ballots.

Total cost of the election is €105m which is around €7.50 per voter

Gamma om de hoek

Compared to the non-accessible spaces

They could never. Let's hope someone breaks their monopoly soon

I hope they do run to Amsterdam, the extra capacity is very welcome. But I'll believe it when I see it! Same goes for the ICE L.

Nevermind, 17t is quite normal. It's also the absolute maximum Axle load permitted on the HSL at 300km/h. But that is the value for the initial design and as we all know the HSL-zuid has more problems that weren't initially known.

Wow, that's a low axle load for a double decker train isn't it? Still interested to know if ProRail will be reluctant with all the problems HSL Zuid has