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The HSL South is the Dutch part of a new high-speed railroad being built between Schiphol Airport and Brussels. The Belgian part is called HSL4.
It is expected to be operational in 2007. High Speed Alliance (HSA) will be the railway company operating the Dutch part; for domestic services it gets the exclusive rights, for international services there may be competition. There will be high-speed trains on the main line and so-called shuttle trains running partly on new, partly on old rail tracks, connecting to Den Haag Centraal and Breda; the shuttle trains are faster than regular trains on the new track but not as fast as high-speed trains.
The HSL Project is the largest Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract ever awarded by the Dutch government.
Fares will be 60% higher than for regular trains. There has been discussion about lowering the fee the HSA has to pay the state for the use of the HSL, in exchange for asking fares which are only 25 % higher than normal, but the state has rejected this.
As far as known now, rail passes for the Netherlands will neither be valid on the high-speed trains nor on the shuttle trains.
Domestic train services for regular fares will be reduced.
At Nieuw-Vennep it branches off the existing line on the east side, proceeds along the west side of Roelofarendsveen and Hoogmade and enters a tunnel east of Leiderdorp which continues until the west of Hazerswoude-Dorp (the purpose of the tunnel is to protect the character of the Green Heart). Subsequently it passes on the east side of Benthuizen and ZoetermeerZoetermeer (population: 112,593) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37. 05 kmē (of which 3. 38 kmē is water). One of the two railway lines in Zoetermeer, although belonging to the mai, between Berkel en RodenrijsBerkel en Rodenrijs (population: 17,000) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 18. Berkel en Rodenrijs railway station serves the town. External links http://www. plattegronden. nl/gemee and BergschenhoekBergschenhoek (population: 14,000) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 15. 51 kmē (of which 3. 80 kmē water). The municipality of Bergschenhoek also includes the following towns, villa, and after a tunnel, joins the existing line again at the north of RotterdamRotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands (after Amsterdam), located in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the Nieuwe Maas River. The name "Rotterdam" is derived from a dam in a small river, the Rotte, which.
At BarendrechtBarendrecht (population: 35,859 as of 1-1-2003) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21. 76 kmē (of which 1. 34 kmē water). The municipality of Barendrecht also includes the following t the two tracks cross each other and the trains start driving on the left like in Belgium and France.
The route deviates again from the existing line between Heerjansdam and the Hollands DiepHollands Diep is a large river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse river. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river. The Bergse Maas river and the Nieuwe Merwede river join near Lage Zwaluwe to form the Hollands: it passes on the west side of ZwijndrechtZwijndrecht is a town in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands at the southern tip of the island of IJsselmonde, opposite Dordrecht. It is one of the Drechtsteden. Part of the suburban zone south of Rotterdam it grew from ca. 6,000 inhabitants and 's-Gravendeels-Gravendeel (population: 8,772) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 20. The municipality of 's-Gravendeel also includes the following towns, villages and townships: De Wacht, Schenkel with tunnels under the Oude Maas and Dordtse Kil.
As opposed to the existing line to Belgium through Roosendaal, the route follows the existing line to Breda, branching off to the west side at Prinsenbeek.