Study of three routes/basic alternatives for the Lelylijn

The project team Lelylijn is examining three basic alternatives or routes for the Lelylijn:

*Bundling alternative, bundling with A6/A7/A32
*Clear alternative, via Emmeloord – Assen
*Afsluitdijk alternative

The Lelylijn study is a MIRT study, a first step in the MIRT procedure. (MIRT is the Multi-Year Infrastructure Space and Transport Program, the National Investment Program for projects and programs in the physical environment.) In this research phase, it is important to examine multiple alternatives. These alternatives should reflect the range of possible solutions, both geographically and in terms of the characteristics of a solution. The various basic alternatives should be sufficiently distinct from each other. In this case: fast trains that do not stop frequently and slower trains that do stop frequently, a route that bundles with the highway in a busier populated area and alternative routes that cross a different type and quieter area with fewer stations, for example.

In doing so, the deadline is fixed: the accessibility study must produce results before the summer of 2024. This gives a large research burden with a short lead time for such a study. We have therefore worked toward three basic alternatives. With the study of three alternatives, the expectation is that we will be able to provide a clear picture of the line’s ridership, added value and cost. That is the information to be delivered at this stage.

The project team realizes that there are many other possible “Lily lines” to be imagined. However, for this phase, these three alternatives represent well the edges of the playing field and thus provide insight into the various aspects involved in a future Lelylijn.

Together with stakeholders from State and Region

The images of the basic alternatives are now being shaped in close cooperation with stakeholders from the State and Region. Together with colleagues from water boards, municipalities, provinces, ProRail, RWS and other government organizations, we are enriching the insights. We are looking at the incorporation into the landscape (nature and protected species), urban challenges (existing buildings and infrastructure), the state of the subsoil (soft peat soils, clay or sandy soils), water bodies, groundwater and the many other infrastructure and energy systems we encounter along the various routes.

Read more about the first phase of this study in the report design sessions Lelylijn. This report is the result of the first part of the MIRT-preparation phase delivered in summer 2023.