Speeds
In the Netherlands, two types of train will be using the HSL: the Thalys train, which goes directly from Amsterdam to Paris and vice versa, and the domestic high speed trains of the Dutch operator HSA. The Thalys trains will travel with a maximum speed of 300km/hour. The high speed trains will have a maximum speed of 250km/hour.
The high speed trains are able to reach 300 km/hour. This is only possible on the new HSL track, but of course not everywhere on the route. The trains travel at high speeds on the section in the Green Heart Area, with a length of around 20 kilometres (including the bored tunnel) and on the section of 35 kilometres south of Rotterdam, through the Hoekse Waard area (including the bridge over the Hollandsch Diep waterway) up to the Belgian border.
To accommodate speeds between 160 and 300 km/hour, the track must meet a number of requirements:
- the route must be free of level crossings and sharp curves;
- the foundation of the track must be extremely level and stable;
- overhead wires with 25,000 Volts AC (instead of 1,500 Volts DC) and
- a railway safety system (cabin signalling instead of signal posts along the track) in accordance with international requirements (ERTMS).
Maximum speed on existing track
For practical reasons and safety considerations, high-speed trains can only ride with a maximum speed of 140/160 km/hours on regular track.