NS to test high speed trains between Amsterdam, Groningen

NS will experiment with high speed intercity trains on the route between Amsterdam and Groningen next year. If the experiment succeeds, the high speed trains may be included in the 2021 timetable. "For example, twice an hour as a rush hour train", NS said, NOS reports.

The experimental train will run between Lelystad and Zwolle at speeds of 160 kilometers per hour, instead of the current 140 km/h. The Lelystad and Assen stations will be skipped. This will decrease the journey time by around 15 minutes, NS expects. This experiment is to find out what is needed to make trains run faster in the field of train technology, infrastructure and in the timetable.

Travel time between Amsterdam and Groningen can be reduced by another 15 minutes if NS has new security technologies and new equipment with which trains can run at 200 kilometers per hour. Then the journey between the two cities will taken about 90 minutes, instead of the current 2 hours. 

NS is also looking into shortening travel time on other routes, including the Amsterdam-Breda section, and the Amsterdam-Utrecht-Nijmegen section.