Meuse line

Nijmegen – Venlo
Maas line

A train near Holthees in the municipality of Boxmeer

Route length:

61 km

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Top speed:

125 km / h

Provinces:

Gelderland , Limburg ,
Noord-Brabant

course

Legend

		Route from Arnhem
	17th	Nijmegen
		Route to Tilburg
	19th	Nijmegen Heyendaal
		former route to Kleve
	26th	Mook Molenhoek
	27	Hay
	27	Mook-Middelaar
	28	Linden-Katwijk
		Meuse
	31	Cuijk
	36	Kruispunt bending
		former Boxtel – Büderich route
	39	Bend - Rijkevoort
	41	Boxmeer
	44	Sambeek
	45	Vortum
	49	Vierlingsbeek
	51	Maashees - Smakt
	56	Venray
	60	Oirlo - Castenraij
	63	Meerlo-Tienraij
	69	Lottum
	71	Pit supervisor
		Route to Eindhoven
	77	Blerick
		Meuse
		former route to Büderich
	78	Venlo
		Route to Roermond

		Route to Viersen and former route to Kempen

The Maaslinie ( Dutch Maaslijn ; alternatively Heilige Lijn ) is a largely single-track, non-electrified railway line from Nijmegen to Venlo . The route to Eindhoven branches off at Blerick . On the section from Mook-Middelaar to Blerick, the line is single-track and double-tracked from Nijmegen to Mook Molenhoek and from Blerick to Venlo. The name Maaslinie is sometimes used to refer to the Nijmegen – Venlo – Roermond train service.

history

The construction of the line was decided by law of November 10, 1875 and carried out on behalf of the Dutch state. The line went into operation on June 1, 1883. The Maas line was operated by the state railways. In order to enable train crossings, stations were built every six kilometers. The embankment and the piers of the Maas bridge were specially designed to create the conditions for a later track extension. An additional track was built between Nijmegen and Mook Molenhoek in 1912. In the 1920s, coal was transported on the Maas line by freight trains to the north of the Netherlands and to Twente , although the new Eindhoven – Weert line had already been opened in 1913 . Long-distance trains continued to run on the route from Amsterdam via Amersfoort to South Limburg, Germany and Belgium. Plans by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen envisaged the electrification of the Maas line for 1951, but this did not happen. At the end of the 1980s, the line became part of the Rail 21 project . In this context, the line was to be electrified and extended over its entire length. Like many other plans for the project, those for the Maas line were not carried out. Until Veolia Transport took over passenger transport in 2006 , trains operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen operated on the route. Arriva has been operating the Maas line with regional trains since 2016 . The line is secured by the Dutch train control system ATB Nieuwe Generatie .

future

In the future, the Maas line is to be subjected to far-reaching measures and thus improved. The clients, the provinces of Gelderland, Limburg and Noord-Brabant as well as the Ministry of Infrastructures and Waterstaat , want to counteract the increasing passenger traffic and improve the reliability of the trains. As part of this project, the entire railway line is to be electrified, a new train station opened near Venlo and additional tracks laid. The overhead line should run over specially constructed piles and posts that should be between 60 and 70 meters apart. The diesel trains are then to be replaced by electric variants. The Grubbenvorst station, which was in operation between 1884 and 1935, is to be rebuilt. For financial reasons, however, the construction of the station will not take place for the time being. The tracks are to be extended in two places. On the one hand, the crossing lane at Cuijk is to be extended, while the track system between Venray and Tienray is to be doubled. In addition, four arches along the route are to be made more spacious so that the speed of the trains does not have to be reduced, and 20 level crossings are to be secured. Construction is expected to be completed in 2022 and will cost 164 million euros.

Route connections

The following lines operate on the Maas line in the 2019 annual timetable :

Train type	Line course	frequency
Stoptrein ( Arriva )	Nijmegen - Venray - Venlo - Roermond	every half hour
Stoptrein (Arriva)	Nijmegen - Venray	every half hour (does not run in the evenings and on weekends)