Netherlands high speed train line needs major work: report

Major work needs to be done on the railways of the high speed line in order to keep trains running on time. That will also require major investment, according to an external study NS and ProRail had done, RTL Nieuws reports.

Without major changes to the infrastructure of the high speed line, train traffic will suffer under the increasingly crowded rails and complex infrastructure. Travelers will have to take cancellations and delays into account for the next two years. The same reliability as on the regular railways can only be expected if radical changes are made, the researchers state in the analysis of what improvement measures are needed.

The high speed line will be even busier this year, with Eurostar and IC Brussels also using the route.

The trains on the high speed line have been underperforming for years, leading to hefty fines for NS every year. The percentage of trains running on time now stands at under 80 percent. Last year ProRail CEO Pier Eringa called the situation around the high speed line "stupid", according to the broadcaster. ProRail doesn't manage the line's infrastructure itself, but is held accountable for it.