High-speed rail in the Netherlands

High-speed rail service in the Netherlands started at 13 December 2009 with the dedicated HSL-Zuid line that connects the Randstad via Brussels to 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 the less ambitious Hanzelijn was built to enable future high-speed service between the northern provinces and the Randstad.

High-speed rail in the Netherlands

High-speed rail service in the Netherlands started at 13 December 2009 with the dedicated HSL-Zuid line that connects the Randstad via Brussels to 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 the less ambitious Hanzelijn was built to enable future high-speed service between the northern provinces and the Randstad.