The Dutch province Zuid-Holland is growing into one integrated housing, labour, education, retail and transportation market. Large cities like The Hague, Rotterdam and their suburbs, smaller cities like Delft, Leiden and Dordrecht, new towns like Zoetermeer, Capelle aan den IJssel, Spijkenisse and Hellevoetsluis are all merging into one continuous but sprawled urban area, home to 3.5 million people. The passenger rail network was never built to serve such a complex urban area. It needs to adapt, raising the question how and in what direction it should develop.
The passenger rail network in the province is undergoing rapid change as a result of the changing urban patterns, the privatisation of it's operators and the introduction of new concepts for existing passenger rail systems.
The Zuid-Holland passenger rail network showcase describes good and bad practices during this time of transition and formulates in that process a best practice: Zuidvleugelnet.
The Zuid-Holland passenger rail network showcase focusses on three issues:
