High-speed rail in the Netherlands

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.

[1] New plans for a HSL-Noord, now dubbed 'Lelylijn' instead of 'Zuiderzeelijn', were unveiled in 2019; a feasibility study, with the support of all national political parties, is underway and expected to be finished in late 2020.

[4] A new type of train, the Intercity Nieuwe Generatie (ICNG), will be introduced in 2023 on the HSL-Zuid track from Breda via Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Zuid, Lelystad, Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden.

The new direct route from Breda to Zwolle that will be using the HSL-Zuid removes the need for a transfer the total trip time is expected to be shortened by roughly 30 minutes.

The scope of the project has now been reduced, but it is expected that German ICE trains will be able to travel at 200 km/h (124 mph) from Amsterdam to Utrecht in the near future.

Currently, ERTMS has been installed on the line, but the soil is soft and needs time to stabilize after the recent expansion works.

[citation needed] Transport Minister Tineke Netelenbos turned against the HSL-Oost, deeming it unfeasible and arguing that public funds were better spent on improving existing infrastructure; the NS eventually agreed.

In December 2001, the parliamentary coalition parties Labour, VVD and D66 finally voted in favour of Netelenbos' plan to not double the railway tracks until 2020, and instead only optimise the current two rails with sidetracks so that faster trains can overtake slower ones, and more efficient techniques to let trains drive more closely after one another beginning in 2007.

On 22 September 2010, the study named Synergie in railcorridors: Een onderzoek naar het integraal ontwerpen van railnetwerken was published, which stated that a new design method could make the HSL-Oost economical after all.