Meppel–Groningen railway

Meppel–Groningen railway
Overview
Status Operational
Locale The Netherlands
Termini Meppel railway station
Groningen railway station
Operation
Opening 1870
Operator(s) Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Technical
Line length 77 km (48 mi)
No. of tracks double track
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 1.5 kV DC
Route map
Legend
 Line from Zwolle
 0.0 Meppel
Line to Leeuwarden
 19.8 Hoogeveen
 33.7 Beilen
 49.3 Assen
freight line to Nieuweschans
 71.2 Haren
Line from Nieuweschans
 74.2 Groningen Europapark
 76.9 Groningen
Line to Leeuwarden
 to Delfzijl

The Meppel–Groningen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Meppel to Groningen, passing through Hoogeveen and Assen. The line was opened in 1870. It is also known as the Staatslijn "C".

Stations

The main interchange stations on the Meppel–Groningen railway are:

History

The Westerbork transit camp, where Dutch Jews and others were held before deportation to Nazi concentration camps in the East, had its own branch line from the Meppel–Groningen railway, branching off at the former Hooghalen railway station. In the 1970s, the railway was the scene of two train hijackings by South-Moluccans: in 1975 at Wijster, and in 1977 at De Punt.