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 seven stations, these are:

• Almere Poort
• Almere Muziekwijk
• Almere Centrum
• Almere Parkwijk
• Almere Buiten
• Almere Oostvaarders
• Lelystad Centrum

The former Almere Strand station was closed in 2012 and replaced by Almere Poort.

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 - Almere Poort station opens, Hanzelijn (Lelystad-Zwolle) opens

• 2025 - 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.

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

Work on the Hanzelijn from Lelystad Centrum to Zwolle began in 2007 and the line opened in 2012. Two new stations were opened, Dronten and Kampen Zuid.

The Lelystad Zuid station is expected to open in 2025.

Train services

The current train services operating on the Flevolijn are: