Weesp–Lelystad railway
The Weesp–Lelystad railway, also known as the Flevolijn, is a Dutch railway line. It is operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The line runs from Weesp, in the province of North Holland, to Lelystad, capital of the neighbouring province of Flevoland.
The line currently has six stations, these are:
Timeline
- 1987 - Line opens between Weesp and Almere Buiten. The station Almere Parkwijk hadn't been built at the time.
- 1988 - Line was finished when it was extended to Lelystad Centrum
- 1996 - Almere Parkwijk station opens
- 2003 - Gooiboog curve opens, allowing direct trains to Hilversum and Utrecht.
- 2004 - Almere Oostvaarders station opens
- 2012 - Hanzelijn (Lelystad-Zwolle) opens
- 2015 - Planned opening of Lelystad Zuid station
History
Work began on the railway line in 1980. Originally, it was planned to run straight through the Oostvaardersplassen. After protests from environmentalists, the transport minister decided that the line was to pass outside this nature area. As a consequence, this detour is, because of its form, now colloquially called the bath tub line.
Another station, to be named Almere Poort, is currently under construction between Weesp and Almere Muziekwijk.
In 2008, it was announced that the line's capacity will be extended to 12 trains per hour in either direction. To achieve this, it will be doubled to four tracks.
Hanzelijn
The Hanzelijn is a railway under construction. It will operate from Lelystad Centrum to Zwolle. On the line there will be two new stations, Dronten and Kampen Zuid
In 2007, work began on the Hanzelijn, this is planned to open in 2012. With the completion of the railway line, the current Zwolle - Kampen railway line will close.
Future
Some time in the near future there are plans for two new stations on the line, these are:
Train services
The current train services operating on the Flevolijn are:
| Series: | Train Type: | Route: | Material: | Frequency: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3700 | Intercity | Schiphol - Amsterdam Zuid - Duivendrecht - Almere Centrum - Almere Buiten - Lelystad Centrum | DD-AR | 2x per hour |
| 3900 | Intercity | Hoofddorp - Schiphol - Amsterdam Lelylaan - Amsterdam Sloterdijk - Amsterdam Centraal - Almere Centrum - Almere Buiten - Lelystad Centrum | DD-AR | 2x per hour |
| 4300 | Stoptrain | Hoofddorp – Schiphol – Amsterdam Zuid – Amsterdam RAI - Duivendrecht – Diemen Zuid - Weesp – Almere Muziekwijk - Almere Centrum – Almere Parkwijk - Almere Buiten - Almere Oostvaarders | SLT | 2x per hour |
| 4600 | Stoptrain | Amsterdam Centraal - Amsterdam Muiderpoort - Diemen - Weesp - Almere Muziekwijk - Almere Centrum - Almere Parkwijk - Almere Buiten - Almere Oostvaarders | SLT | 2x per hour |
| 4900 | Intercity | Almere Centrum - Almere Muziekwijk – Naarden-Bussum - Hilversum – Hilversum Sportpark - Utrecht Overvecht - Utrecht Centraal | DD-AR | 2x per hour |