Limburg wants a nearby stop on the future London–Germany high-speed rail line

The southeastern Dutch province of Limburg has high hopes for being more closely connected to the planned high-speed rail link between Germany and London. “It would be fantastic if it stopped in Liège or Aachen,” said Limburg Provincial Deputy Jasper Kuntzelaers. He handles public transport and infrastructure policy on behalf of the province's coalition government.

Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn have recently agreed to collaborate on a new rail link connecting London with cities including Cologne and Frankfurt. The companies are now assessing what is required to bring the project to fruition.

Kuntzelaers pledged that the province will use its political clout within the Euregio Maas-Rijn (EMR) collaboration to get the route to include stops in Liège, Aachen, or both. The EMR is a cross-border partnership between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, and has for some time focused on improving public transport between the three nations.

Operating since 2024, the Drielandentrein, or Three-Country Train, is a regional rail line linking Liège in Belgium with Maastricht and Heerlen in the Netherlands, and the German city of Aachen. This makes it possible for passengers to travel across the three countries without transfers.

The plan from Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn targets a launch in the early 2030s, assuming that all technical, operational, and legal challenges are addressed. The collaboration leverages Eurostar’s experience with the Channel Tunnel and Deutsche Bahn’s extensive German network, potentially running trains at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

This initiative is part of a larger effort to provide faster, more direct rail connections between the United Kingdom and continental Europe. It is also meant to increase the availability of more sustainable forms of international transportation in the region.

D66 Provincial Councilor Leon Vaessen emphasized that strong international connections via high-speed rail are crucial for regional development. This includes the effort to bring more joint projects to the area, like the Einstein Telescope, a planned underground observatory for detecting gravitational waves.

Kuntzelaers is the provincial executive deputy responsible for other policy matters related to public transport and infrastructure, like the Maaslijn railroad route connecting Nijmegen, Venlo, and Roermond. He also handles the portfolios for traffic, heritage, and cultural issues.

His proposal for Limburg and the Euregio partners to take an active role with the London-Frankfurt project won the support of Emile Roemer. The former leader of the Socialist Party (SP) is currently the King’s Commissioner for Limburg.