This is my line. Never in a million years did I expect someone on YT to make a video on it

Very interesting explanation of the different lines and different owners.  Thanks, Thom

It’s like I’m watching RailAway about trains in my own country.

Am probably one of the few cargo train drivers with route knowledge for the "Merwede-Linge lijn" which we colloquially call "Tingelingelinge lijn".

I’m so amazed at all of the intermodal stations in the Netherlands.

Hey it's the train I take to work every day! And hey, I even learned something new. I had no idea the middle 'hallway' was there to make space for the power pack!

As for the reason to get new, longer trains - here (in Dordrecht) there's a broad public consensus that the trains are too packed during rush hour (but given the infrastructure, there's no way to increase the frequency). With new housing plans in the region and increasing political focus on public transit to relieve the congested A15 motorway, an increase in capacity isn't such a bad idea either.

Je had ook door de voetgangerstunnel kunnen gaan zonder uit- en in- te checken en pas op perron 21 bij de paaltjes inchecken. Veel sneller dan via de voetgangersbrug. QBuzz heeft er bij de consessieovername een puinhoop van gemaakt. Men wilde de treinen eigenlijk niet overnemen, er was ook gesteggel over de staat waarin Arriva de treinen zou hebben achtergelaten, dat is de reden waarom refurbishment zo lang op zich heeft laten wachten. Overigens is het ook een achteruitgang, QBuzz had beloofd dat fietsen meenemen in de trein gratis zou blijven, net als bij Arriva het geval was. Dat is nu toch niet meer zo. Terwijl ontzettend veel leerlingen, studenten en andere forensen gebruik maken van die lijn en de laatste stukken fietsen naar hun werk of school. Verder ben ik wel benieuwd naar de nieuwe opstelplaats, want voorheen zette Arriva de treinen neer op 1 van de ongebruikte sporen parallel aan de Transvaalstraat, maar daar hadden omwonenden te veel last van. Intussen zwerven ze altijd ergens rondom station Dordrecht rond en het opstelspoor achter perron 21, maar dat gaat met de langere treinen wel lastiger worden.

Another banger video! I love trains in NL. Traveling through NL farmland is as therapeutic to me as therapy itself! Cheers!

Er staat nog steeds R-net op de borden en incheckpaaltjes ipv Qbuzz. Blijft onhandig, aangezien veel bedrijven ook R-net logo's hebben, incl. de NS. Blijft wel een leuk traject overigens!

2:58 You don't need to pass through the fare gates twice, next to the R-NET platforms there are columns which can be used to check in and out for the respective operators. That way you don't have to detour using the overpass and can use the quicker tunnel instead

Saw the layout and show on Saturday, what an amazing event.

Thanks for visiting our City Dordrecht

Oh and very interesting that there will be a new railyard. I hope they will let maintain the CAF units at Leidschendam in the NS workshop, would be strange to do it themselves.

i ride this train everyday, I live in Leerdam, This region is known for being the nicest in the netherlands, so nice that people from other provinces are often taken back when visiting the region, but also the most remote, there are no larger cities than geldermalsen, leerdam or gorinchem, i am sad these are going away because in my opinion its the most comfortable one (I travel a lot so i would know) and a very comfortable line in general, train is never packed, and sometimes they attach two of these to eachother for extra capacity, there have been some times where i was the only guy in the carriage on a work day no less.

My own belief for this is the growing population, Leerdam as of recent built 1000 new homes, including a new school and housing for starters, Currently my city Leerdam is the fastest growing one, The entire region in general is getting a influx due to its beauty and general housing crisis plus the fact our cities still have lots of space to build on due to how remote we are

So what is happening is that this line is slowly turning from a rural/regional line to more of a main line due to a quickly growing population, growing so fast infact that its noticeable by eye, ever since those 1000 homes were finished i noticed far more car traffic, and people that i have never seen before, since our cities are at the sort of size where you see people you know pretty much constantly almost like a village.

i suggest people to look up Leerdam on google maps to check it out, nice city

Can you also cover the new trains and line extensions on he blauwnet(arriva vechtdallijn) and the new transfer station for a small international trian to Bad bentheim from Coevorden

Blaak is a station you can make a whole video about...

One thing I really dislike about these regional franchises is the artificial connections they force you to make. Rotterdam to Geldermalsen could be a non stop trip with a sprinter, but because the network is chopped up as it is, you end up with a lot of connections that shouldn't really exist.

This really is one of the more scenic routes. I have often used it to travel between Rotterdam and Geldermalsen, where you can park for free. It generally is not as fast as going through Utrecht, but it appears to be less prone to delays. Unlike NS, you are also guaranteed to get outlets to charge your phone.

Especially summer nights near sunset, the scenes are great.

Great video thom

It's not just ETCS train protection that is being installed, the entire interlocking system that protects the switches, crossings and such is being replaced. ETCS itself can exist alongside the older system, which is currently the case on Kijfhoek where both ETCS and ATB trains can run. But interlocking systems that support dual-signalling cannot fully benefit from the new features ETCS has to offer, which is why they decided not to continue with that anymore. So that is why Dordrecht will be getting an ETCS level 2-only interlocking system in a few years and why they need the new trains. The rest of the line to Geldermalsen will remain ATB for the time being, so trains itself will support both systems so they can switch back to ATB halfway Dordrecht and Dordrecht Zuid.

This trainservice and train is one i will never forget.
Normaly i mostly use the Intercity service from 's-Hertogenbosch to Rotterdam or the Hague.
Due to works on the raillines, railines were closed above Geldermalsen and to Tiel that weekend.
So we needed to take this rural line to get to the Hague.
Nothing out of the ordinary just a slightly longer traveltime an we ended without any problems at the Hague
The return trip was the part that is the part that is unforgetable.
There were violent riots in Rotterdam and trainservices truh Rotteram Central were limited. ( political riots when a Turkisch female minister was revoked entry into the Netherlands )
The problems arose when the protestors entered by violence the Rotterdam Centraal railway station.
The NS Sprinter train from the Hague to Dordrechts was filled to the max by orders of the police at Rotterdam Centraal to evacuate as much as possible train passengers asap out of Rotterdam Centraal.
This NS sprinter train normaly doesn't run on this line went without any stops from Rotterdam central directly to Hardinxveld Giesendam.
Ofcourse total chaos accured with all those evacuated passengers from all regions of the Netherlands pilling up at Hardinxveld Giessendam station.
The only trainservice was this local train to Geldermalsen running on ist weekend schedule.
The local train was packed to the rim and at Geldermalsen the Police/Marechaussee  awaited us to get us safely on trains or busses, Ofcourse due to the calamity at Rotterdam Centraal extra replacement busses were needed .
The scheduled replacement bus service to get passengers to Utrecht Centraal and Tiel was now unsuficient.
I luckily could take the sprinter train back to 's-Hertogenbosch wo was also packed with passengers heading for the Arnhem/Nijmegen region.
All operators and governmental services switched fast and did the best what they could that day.
I still remember an elderly couple from the Amsterdam region that was shaken to the core due to the violent riots they whitnessed and evacuation at Rotterdam Centraal.
It shows how congested and integrated our dense railnetwork is.
One disruption is manegable add another and you get Chaos.