Utrecht-Breda Railway Line

Railways 3D SketchUP infrastructure stration trainstation utrecht breda Gorinchem Oosterhout

This is a personal project in which I try to find out if it is possible to build a railway line connecting the Dutch cities Utrecht and Breda. This railway line would follow the same route as the existing highway A27, which also connects Utrecht and Breda.

Also I've been trying to figure out the effects this new railway line would have on existing train services around Breda and Roosendaal and which new journey possibilities this new railway line would create.

The railway line would start at Utrecht Centraal station. Since this is already a very busy station I've chosen to let all train services operating on the Utrecht-Breda Line end or begin at this station. This is to prevent conflicts with services to which Utrecht Centraal is just an intermediate stop. Most of these services enter Utrecht Centraal Station from the North.

The following stations would be served along the Utrecht-Breda Line.
- Utrecht Centraal
- Utrecht Vaartsche Rijn
- Houten West
- Vianen
- Meerkerk
- Gorinchem West
- Sleeuwijk
- Raamsdonksveer
- Oosterhout
- Breda

A total of eight train services in each direction would travel over the Utrecht-Breda Line. This results in four Intercity services between Utrecht and Breda per hour, connecting the two cities with a travel time of 39 minutes with stops in Gorinchem West and Oosterhout.

There are also four Sprinter trains per hour between Utrecht and Meerkerk. After Meerkerk, one Sprinter continues to Breda, while the other one leaves the Utrecht-Breda Line to serve the Centre of Gorinchem and from there continue its way to Dordrecht.

Intercity Services

Intercity Service A connects Utrecht, Gorinchem, Oosterhout, Breda, Roosendaal, Middelburg and Vlissingen. Between Utrecht and Breda this service operates as an Intercity train. At Gorinchem West a transfer possibility to the InterRegional service to Dordrecht is provided, making it possible to travel from Utrecht to Dordrecht in 38 minutes.

Because this train arrives in Breda at roughly the same time as the existing Intercity Service from Zwolle to Roosendaal, Intercity Service A can take over the last part of the route of this Intercity service, thus serving Breda, Etten-Leur and Roosendaal.

On arrival in Roosendaal, passenger can transfer to the fast train to Vlissingen, coming from Dordrecht. This is the existing Intercity service from Amsterdam to Vlissingen.

Intercity Service A will continue as a Sprinter from Roosendaal to Vlissingen.

Intercity Service B connects Utrecht, Gorinchem, Oosterhout, Breda, and Roosendaal. On arrival in Roosendaal, passengers can transfer to the Belgian Intercity service to Antwerp, Brussels and Charleroi. Currently this Belgian service has its terminus in the town of Essen, close to the Belgian border. Extending this service to Roosendaal creates more possibilities for people living in the Zeeland province to travel to Belgium.

Intercity Service C is almost the same is Intercity Service A, also connecting Utrecht, Gorinchem, Oosterhout, Breda, Roosendaal, Middelburg and Vlissingen. The only difference is that on arrival in Roosendaal, passengers can transfer to the Sprinter train to Vlissingen.

After the stop at Roosendaal, Intercity Service C continues as an Intercity service to Vlissingen. This makes Intercity Service C almost 20 minutes faster on its route through the Zeeland province than Intercity Service A, which serves on this route as a Sprinter calling at all stations.

Intercity Service D connects Utrecht, Gorinchem, Oosterhout, Breda, Roosendaal and Antwerp. Combined with the Belgian Intercity Service to Charleroi, Intercity Service D provides a connection between Roosendaal and Antwerp roughly every 30 minutes.

InterRegio Service

The InterRegio Service connects Utrecht, Gorinchem and Dordrecht. Between Utrecht Centraal and Meerkerk this services calls at every station along the Northern part of the Utrecht-Breda Line. Combined with the Sprinter between Utrecht and Breda, this results in a train roughly every 15 minutes for passengers at the smaller stations.

After calling at Meerkerk, the InterRegio Service leaves the Utrecht-Breda Line via a new connection to join the existing MerwedeLingeLijn at Gorinchem Noord. This creates a direct connection between Utrecht and Gorinchem.

At Gorinchem passengers can transfer to the local trains Dordrecht. After calling at Gorinchem the InterRegio train calls at Gorinchem West and then goes directly to Dordrecht.

Sprinter Service

The Sprinter Service on the Utrecht-Breda Line is fairly straightforward. It connects Utrecht, Breda and all of the stations in between.

A trip from Utrecht to Breda takes 55 minutes with the Sprinter. But a transfer to the Intercity at Gorinchem West makes this journey 5 minutes faster.

This service has a long stop in Sleeuwijk. This to allow the faster Intercity services to Breda to pass the Sprinter via the passing tracks.

Passing tracks are also included at the stations Vianen and Oosterhout. This is to allow more passing possibilities for delayed Intercity services.

The Utrecht-Breda Line in Details

Station Houten West

Houten West is located on the Western edge of the town of Houten. The station provides a transfer between the Sprinter trains coming from or going to Dordrecht and Breda and Bus Service 47 (connecting Utrecht Centraal with the main station of Houten).

Houten West would be the third station in Houten, next to the existing stations Houten and Houten Castellum along the Utrecht-'s-Hertogenbosh Line. Houten West would be an interesting station for people living in the Western part of Houten traveling South.

Bridge over the river Lek

Station Vianen

Vianen station is, like every station on the Utrecht-Breda Line, located next to highway A27. This station is located near exit 27, making this station a good Park & Ride location for passengers who want to continue their journey by train.

Every 15 minutes there is a train connection to Utrecht or Gorinchem. The station is also served by Bus Service 44, which connects it to the Vianen Bus Station along highway A2 and the main station of Houten.

Lexmond overpass

Near the village of Lexmond, the A27 takes a sharp turn. Coming from Utrecht the line has been following the A27 on the East side, but in Meerkerk and Gorinchem there is more space left for the railway on the Western part of the highway. This makes this sharp turn an interesting location for the Utrecht-Breda Line to cross the A27. This increases the radius of the turn the railway line has to take.

Station Meerkerk

The station of Meerkerk would be located above Exit 25 (Noordeloos) making this another ideal Park & Ride location. This is the same exit where Bus Service 388 leaves or enters highway A27. Bus service 388 connects Utrecht with Dordrecht. Bus service 72 from Noordeloos to Leerdam also passes this location, making it a small regional junction for passengers in the Eastern part of the Alblasserwaard region and the Western part of the Vijfheerenlanden Region.

Hoogblokland junction

The Hoogblokland Junction is where the InterRegio trains to Gorinchem and Dordrecht leave the Utrecht-Breda Line to join the MerwedeLingeLijn a few kilometers further.

Station Gorinchem West

Gorinchem West will mainly serve as a transfer station. It is located near the Gildenwijk in Gorinchem. The station would be served by Bus Services 1 and 2 connecting this station with the rest of Gorinchem.

Passengers traveling from Utrecht Centraal to Dordrecht would transfer here.

Station Sleeuwijk

The station of Sleeuwijk will serve as another regional hub. At this location there already exists a bus station served by bus services to Werkendam, Sleeuwijk, Gorinchem, Oosterhout and Breda with a Park & Ride facility. This seems like a logical place for a train station as well. This station would be served by the Sprinter trains between Utrecht and Breda.

Station Oosterhout

Oosterhout station will be located on the Eastern edge of Oosterhout, near Exit 19. Currently there is a small parking facility near this exit, but in the design of this station it has been replaced with a larger Park & Ride garage, to hold more cars.

This train station mainly serves as a gate to Oosterhout for people coming from the North. People coming from the South would probably take a bus, since there are many bus services coming from Breda which serve the neighborhoods of Oosterhout where the train does not come.