A journey time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, no more transfers in Venlo and an extra stop in Helmond. The Dutch-German steering committee that’s investigating the possibilities of a direct train connection between Eindhoven and Düsseldorf thinks that this should be possible by 2025. A letter-of-intent has been prepared and will be signed by all parties in March.
A direct intercity service between Eindhoven and Düsseldorf is one of the core elements of EurekaRail, a joint project of the provincial authorities of Noord-Brabant and Limburg and the Ministry of I&W to promote cross-border trains. 2025 must be feasible because in that year new concessions will be issued in both Germany and the Netherlands. Railway operators can then pitch for the international connection between Eindhoven and Düsseldorf. The German government will play the leading role in this, but Dutch carriers will also be able to bid for the concession.
In the Netherlands the train stops in Helmond and Venlo; in Germany, the trains will halt at many more stations. This has to do with the single track in a large part of the route. Once that has been solved, there can be a connection that’s six minutes faster.
Marcel Brok, strategist Railways at Brabant Province, explains on Eurekarail.nl what the advantages are for Brabant:
“For Brabant, a wish would be fulfilled. Brainport Eindhoven is closely linked to the German hinterland in North Rhine-Westphalia. The manufacturing industry and various knowledge institutes, including the Eindhoven University of Technology, are increasingly working together with German partners. The call for better and direct rail connections is, therefore, becoming louder. We see more German students in Eindhoven and also a growing number of international knowledge workers from Germany. Conversely, a direct connection to Düsseldorf is interesting for the Dutch, because they can immediately travel to Munich and Berlin on the ICE high-speed trains.”
Read more about the plans for an intercity to Düsseldorf here.
No Railway Station for the Airport
On the other hand, a new station near Acht, especially for passengers at Eindhoven Airport, has been postponed. According to Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure, there’s not enough demand from travelers to justify such a construction.
“Based on the regional feasibility study of a Multi-Modal Transfer Point at Eindhoven Acht, it is concluded that a train station at this location is not relevant in the low and medium growth scenario for Eindhoven Airport”, according to the Minister. This decision can only be reconsidered if there is “a development in line with the high growth scenario”.
