| Hanzelijn | |
|---|---|
Trajectory of the Hanzelijn |
|
| Locale | Netherlands |
| Dates of operation | 2012– |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 1.5 kV DC |
| Length | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Website | www.hanzelijn.nl |
The Lelystad–Zwolle railway, also known as the Hanzelijn (English: Hanseatic Line), is a new Dutch railway line presently under construction. When completed, it will connect Lelystad, capital of the province of Flevoland, with Zwolle, capital of the neighbouring province of Overijssel. It will also provide the currently missing rail link between Flevoland and the north-east of the Netherlands.
Work on the line started in January 2007, and is planned for completion by the end of 2012. Two new railway stations are to be built, one in Dronten and one in Kampen Zuid. The maximum speed on most of the line will be 200 km/h, though there is no domestic rolling stock in the Netherlands capable of speeds faster than 160 km/h. The railway will open for revenue services in 2013. The Lelystad–Zwolle journey time will be 30 minutes, reducing the travel time from Amsterdam to Zwolle – and further north – by about 15 minutes. The total length of the new track will be 50 km.[1][2][3]
The line includes a 790 m (2,592 ft) tunnel under the Drontermeer (the semi-artificial channel separating the mainland from the reclaimed Eastern Flevoland), and a 1 km (0.6 mile) high-level fixed bridge over the river IJssel which also carries the Utrecht-Zwolle-Kampen rail line. The bridge, which features a separate pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, opened to rail and foot traffic on 14 June 2011, replacing a rail-only twin-span vertical-lift drawbridge.
The proposed Zuiderzeelijn project is cancelled, and the Hanzelijn link will not provide the journey time reductions that northern lobby groups aimed for. It is likely that the current Interliner route 330 connecting Lelystad and Zwolle will stop when the line opens.