RandstadRail: Metro and Light Rail Make the Connection

Rail service between the Dutch cities of The Hague and Rotterdam, which began in 1908 with the Netherlands' first electrified heavy rail line, has been faulted over the years for its lack of effectiveness, notably for not penetrating either city's center. RandstadRail, which is scheduled to begin operations in October 2007, should alleviate this by connecting the two cities, including their centers, through existing subway and light rail network integration. First proposed in 1995, as part of the project Netherlands Rail stopped running heavy rail trains on both affected lines in order to convert one line to metro, one line to light rail, and the northern section to joint light rail and metro operation. A seeming absence of neutrality in managing the two-city project sparked controversy during construction. The author discusses construction and rail operation logistics.