RandstadRail
RandstadRail is a public transport system in the southern area of the Randstad conurbation in The Netherlands. Currently three light rail lines are in service between the cities of The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam.
Contents
Background
Randstadrail is a lightrail project in the Randstad conurbation in the west of The Netherlands. It connects the cities of The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, also serving the suburban areas between them. It currently consists of three lines, one between the large cities of The Hague and Rotterdam (Erasmuslijn) and two lines from The Hague to Zoetermeer. The new lightrail vehicles run mainly on existing routes converted from both train and tram tracks.
Routes
The Hague to Rotterdam
Between the large cities of The Hague and Rotterdam, the Erasmus Line, Erasmuslijn in Dutch, runs on the tracks of the old Hofpleinlijn, a former train route. Starting in November 2006 metro vehicles from the RET company service the route from Rotterdam Hofplein station to The Hague Central station. More stops were added and frequencies increased in the conversion from a train to a lightrail system. A tunnel connecting the line to the existing Rotterdam Metro network is planned to complete in 2008.
The Hague to Zoetermeer
RandstadRail lines 3 and 4 are lightrail connections, run by the HTM company, strectching from the southwest of The Hague to Zoetermeer. Existing tram tracks in The Hague have been adapted for the longer and wider vehicles. More tram lines are scheduled for conversion to RandstadRail lines in the The Hague area in the future.
Line 3 runs from Loosduinen in the southwest of The Hague through the city center and then turns into a circle line serving the large suburb of Zoetermeer. Line 4 runs from the southern edge of The Hague through the city center to the east of Zoetermeer.
Problems
After the introduction of the rail service there have been a number of derailments. The derailment of 29 November 2006 caused 17 passengers to be injured. While investigations to the causes of the problems and necessary technical adaptations are being carried out, there is a limited service with passengers being transported by buses over parts of the line. [1]
