HSL-Zuid
Encyclopedia
HSL-Zuid is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line
in the Netherlands
to the Belgian
border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4
it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway. Originally scheduled to be in service by 2007, the first public operations began on September 7, 2009, after a ceremony on September 6.
Fyra
operates between Amsterdam
and Breda
, for the time being with conventional carriages and rented TRAXX
locomotives.
On 13 December 2009 Thalys
began services from Amsterdam
to Paris
and Brussels
on the HSL-Zuid.
Rijkswaterstaat
, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, is responsible for the organization of the project. The government awarded the largest ever public-private partnership
(PPP) contract to the consortium Infraspeed until 2030; it is responsible for design, construction, financing and maintenance. The line will feature state-of-the-art technology, including ETCS level 2 train control systems provided by Siemens AG
and Alcatel
(activities now part of Thales
), and will be a ERTMS 2.3.0 Corridor.
Between Amsterdam
and Schiphol, high speed train
s operate on the existing line.
South of Schiphol the dedicated high speed tracks begin, parallelling the existing railway line until Nieuw-Vennep
. The line then branches off eastwards, continuing along the west side of Roelofarendsveen and Hoogmade
and entering a tunnel east of Leiderdorp
. This tunnel was built to protect the character of the Groene Hart
region. North of Zoetermeer
the train line leaves the tunnel west of Hazerswoude
-Dorp; it subsequently passes to the east of Benthuizen
, and on an elevated track east of Zoetermeer
, then back on the surface between Berkel en Rodenrijs
and Bergschenhoek
, and after a tunnel, joins the existing line again north of Rotterdam
.
Trains run briefly on existing tracks for a few kilometres before entering the high speed line again. At Barendrecht
the two tracks cross each other and the trains begin left-hand running as in Belgium
, France
and the UK
. From here the line runs next to the existing railway as well as the Betuweroute
, continuing through the Hoekse Waard area, bypassing Dordrecht
. South of Dordrecht, the line runs next to the A16 motorway with a branch spurring off to the city of Breda. South of Breda, the line again follows the motorway towards Antwerp in northern Belgium. At the Belgian border, it connects to HSL 4
, which carries on to Antwerp, with an existing line from Antwerp to Brussels
.
But from Roosendaal the travel times will be longer:
Thalys reported that its trains would start using the line from December 2009, with Paris-Amsterdam journeys being 3h45m and Brussels-Amsterdam journeys being 2h23m, on account of a plan to gradually increase the line speed, with the same trains in June taking 3h18m and 1h58m. However, recent timetables show that the fastest Thalys trains do these journeys in 3h18m and 1h53m, suggesting that the speed-up had already occurred.
The following services are planned for the HSL-Zuid:
The shuttle services between Amsterdam and Brussels will be branded by the High Speed Alliance as Fyra
. Temporary trains will be used until the V250 sets are operable. The service from Amsterdam to Paris will continue to be covered by Thalys
.
announced plans to directly connect Amsterdam and Rotterdam with London, using the Channel Tunnel
. This proposal would see services from London formed of a pair of DB's Class 407
international ICE units, which would then divide in Brussels, with one train to Frankfurt and the other to Amsterdam. At approximately the same time, Eurostar
also announced proposals to run services direct to Amsterdam, which would use its planned new e320
trains, and would be capable of operating on the infrastructure of the Dutch classic network as well as HSL-Zuid.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4
HSL 4
The HSL 4 is a Belgian high-speed rail line which connects Brussels to the Dutch border. 87 km long , it was scheduled for completion by 2007.Together with the HSL 1 to the French border and HSL-Zuid to Amsterdam, the line has shortened journeys between Brussels,...
it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway. Originally scheduled to be in service by 2007, the first public operations began on September 7, 2009, after a ceremony on September 6.
Fyra
Fyra
Fyra is a high-speed train service operating on the Dutch HSL-Zuid and planned for the Belgian HSL 4, between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Breda, Antwerp, and Brussels. Fyra shares the high-speed tracks with operator Thalys. The service is offered by NS Hispeed and the NMBS/SNCB...
operates between Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, for the time being with conventional carriages and rented TRAXX
TRAXX
Bombardier TRAXX is a modular product platform of electric and Diesel-electric mainline locomotives built by Bombardier Transportation, built in both freight and passenger variants...
locomotives.
On 13 December 2009 Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
began services from Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on the HSL-Zuid.
Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat, founded in 1798 as the Bureau voor den Waterstaat, is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the former Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management...
, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, is responsible for the organization of the project. The government awarded the largest ever public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP) contract to the consortium Infraspeed until 2030; it is responsible for design, construction, financing and maintenance. The line will feature state-of-the-art technology, including ETCS level 2 train control systems provided by Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
and Alcatel
Alcatel
Alcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
(activities now part of Thales
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
), and will be a ERTMS 2.3.0 Corridor.
Route
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Schiphol, high speed train
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
s operate on the existing line.
South of Schiphol the dedicated high speed tracks begin, parallelling the existing railway line until Nieuw-Vennep
Nieuw-Vennep
Nieuw-Vennep is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 10 km southwest of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol....
. The line then branches off eastwards, continuing along the west side of Roelofarendsveen and Hoogmade
Hoogmade
Hoogmade is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 7 km east of Leiden, in the municipality of Kaag en Braassem.Hoogmade was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1855, when it merged with Woubrugge....
and entering a tunnel east of Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of 26,182 in 2004....
. This tunnel was built to protect the character of the Groene Hart
Groene Hart
The Groene Hart is a relatively thinly populated area in the Dutch Randstad. The major Dutch cities of Rotterdam, Den Haag, Leiden, Haarlem, Amsterdam and Utrecht lie around this area...
region. North of Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² . A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950...
the train line leaves the tunnel west of Hazerswoude
Hazerswoude
Hazerswoude is a former municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It contained the towns of Hazerswoude-Dorp and Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, and the villages Groenendijk and Bent....
-Dorp; it subsequently passes to the east of Benthuizen
Benthuizen
Benthuizen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Rijnwoude, and lies about 4 km east of Zoetermeer.In 2001, the town of Benthuizen had 3215 inhabitants...
, and on an elevated track east of Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² . A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950...
, then back on the surface between Berkel en Rodenrijs
Berkel en Rodenrijs
thumb|250px|right|Town signBerkel en Rodenrijs is a town and former municipality in the Western part of the Netherlands, and is located in the Dutch province of South Holland.- History :...
and Bergschenhoek
Bergschenhoek
thumb|250px|right|Town signBergschenhoek is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands. It is situated roughly 10 km to the north of Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of 16,608 in 2006, and covered an area of 15.52 km² of which...
, and after a tunnel, joins the existing line again north of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
.
Trains run briefly on existing tracks for a few kilometres before entering the high speed line again. At Barendrecht
Barendrecht
Barendrecht is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 43,104 in 2007, and covers an area of 21.72 km² of which 1.45 km² is water....
the two tracks cross each other and the trains begin left-hand running as in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. From here the line runs next to the existing railway as well as the Betuweroute
Betuweroute
The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...
, continuing through the Hoekse Waard area, bypassing Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
. South of Dordrecht, the line runs next to the A16 motorway with a branch spurring off to the city of Breda. South of Breda, the line again follows the motorway towards Antwerp in northern Belgium. At the Belgian border, it connects to HSL 4
HSL 4
The HSL 4 is a Belgian high-speed rail line which connects Brussels to the Dutch border. 87 km long , it was scheduled for completion by 2007.Together with the HSL 1 to the French border and HSL-Zuid to Amsterdam, the line has shortened journeys between Brussels,...
, which carries on to Antwerp, with an existing line from Antwerp to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
- Voltage: 25kV AC (except between Amsterdam and Schiphol)
Travel times
The new line is expected to shorten travel times for international and domestic services.- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
-RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, 62 km, 0:43 (currently 0:58) - Amsterdam-BredaBredaBreda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, 105 km, 0:59 (currently 1:44) - Amsterdam-Antwerp, 152 km, 1:10 (currently 2:00)
- Amsterdam-BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, 199 km, 1:44 (currently 2:40) - Amsterdam-ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 492 km, 3:13 (currently 4:11) - The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
-Brussels 1:44 (currently 2:17) - Breda-Brussels 0:59 (currently 1:44)
But from Roosendaal the travel times will be longer:
- Roosendaal-Brussels 1:16 (not including the change of trains in Breda) (currently 1:08)
Thalys reported that its trains would start using the line from December 2009, with Paris-Amsterdam journeys being 3h45m and Brussels-Amsterdam journeys being 2h23m, on account of a plan to gradually increase the line speed, with the same trains in June taking 3h18m and 1h58m. However, recent timetables show that the fastest Thalys trains do these journeys in 3h18m and 1h53m, suggesting that the speed-up had already occurred.
Fares and tickets
On the Fyra all regular NS tickets are valid, but a supplement is required, depending on distance. On Thalys special tickets are required.Services
- (in service) 1 train per hour: Amsterdam Centraal – Schiphol – Rotterdam Centraal – Antwerpen Centraal – Brussels South – Paris North (Thalys)
- 1 train per hour: Amsterdam Centraal – Schiphol – Rotterdam Centraal – Antwerpen Centraal – Brussels South
- (in service) 2 trains per hour: Amsterdam Centraal – Schiphol – Rotterdam Centraal – Breda
- 2 trains per hour: Amsterdam Centraal – Schiphol – Rotterdam Centraal
- 8 trains per day: Den Haag Centraal – Rotterdam Centraal – Breda – Noorderkempen – Antwerpen Centraal – Mechelen – Brussels Central – Brussels South
- 1 train per hour: Noorderkempen – Antwerpen Luchtbal – Antwerpen Centraal
The shuttle services between Amsterdam and Brussels will be branded by the High Speed Alliance as Fyra
Fyra
Fyra is a high-speed train service operating on the Dutch HSL-Zuid and planned for the Belgian HSL 4, between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Breda, Antwerp, and Brussels. Fyra shares the high-speed tracks with operator Thalys. The service is offered by NS Hispeed and the NMBS/SNCB...
. Temporary trains will be used until the V250 sets are operable. The service from Amsterdam to Paris will continue to be covered by Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
.
Future
In October 2010, Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
announced plans to directly connect Amsterdam and Rotterdam with London, using the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
. This proposal would see services from London formed of a pair of DB's Class 407
Siemens Velaro
Siemens Velaro is a family of high-speed EMU trains used in Europe and China. The Velaro is based on Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3 high-speed trains, but is a full Siemens product unlike the ICE 3 which involved other manufacturers....
international ICE units, which would then divide in Brussels, with one train to Frankfurt and the other to Amsterdam. At approximately the same time, Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
also announced proposals to run services direct to Amsterdam, which would use its planned new e320
Siemens Velaro
Siemens Velaro is a family of high-speed EMU trains used in Europe and China. The Velaro is based on Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3 high-speed trains, but is a full Siemens product unlike the ICE 3 which involved other manufacturers....
trains, and would be capable of operating on the infrastructure of the Dutch classic network as well as HSL-Zuid.
ETCS Problems
The HSL-Zuid route currently only supports speeds of up to 160 km/h on the Rotterdam-Schiphol section of the line. This is because ETCS Level 2 has not commenced operations yet and Level 1 is still in use. The original problem was that the Bombardier TRAXX locomotives were not certified for ETCS Level 2 operation. Railway Gazette reported in April 2011 that certification had been achieved. However, there is still no news about when the Thalys trains will commence 300km/h operations on the Rotterdam-Schiphol section. Given that the V250 Fyra trains are expected to enter service in December 2011, it remains unclear whether or not ETCS Level 2 operations will commence before the TRAXX-carriages combinations are withdrawn. The Antwerp-Rotterdam section already allows 300 km/h operation, as the TRAXX-carriages combinations don't run here.See also
- High-speed rail in BelgiumHigh-speed rail in BelgiumBelgium has a high-speed rail network providing mostly international connections from Brussels to France, Germany and The Netherlands. The high-speed network began with the opening of the HSL 1 to France in 1997, since then high-speed lines have been expanded towards Germany with HSL 2 in 2002, HSL...
- High-speed rail in the NetherlandsHigh-speed rail in the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is connected to the European high-speed rail network with one dedicated high-speed line and improved traditional rail. A second dedicated high-speed line is being considered, but the plan has been put on hiatus....
- High-speed rail in EuropeHigh-speed rail in EuropeHigh-speed rail is emerging in Europe as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transport. The first high-speed rail lines in Europe, built in the 1980s and 1990s, improved travel times on intra-national corridors. Since then, several countries have built extensive high-speed networks,...
External links
- HSA website
- HSL-Zuid, the Dutch TGV line
- Photos of construction work, from 2001 till present