The time has come, NS reports that from Monday 6 September Frisian travelers can travel twice an hour with the sprinter from Leeuwarden-Meppel directly to Zwolle. This in turn saves on travel time. At the moment, these travelers still have to change trains in Meppel. Travelers who travel by train from Wolvega, Akkrum or Grou-Jirnsum to Zwolle will save about 10 minutes in time with this direct connection. The direct connection to Zwolle is possible thanks to investments from the province of Fryslân, among others.
Actually, this direct connection would only start sometime in December, but thanks to the construction of new infrastructure around Zwolle by ProRail, this direct connection from Leeuwarden-Meppel to Zwolle can already start on 6 September. The sprinter also gets a little faster, on the entire ride from Leeuwarden to Zwolle this saves 1 minute. This in turn benefits train passengers in Leeuwarden who have to transfer to the train to Groningen.
The adjustment of this timetable is an important step in the ambition to connect the North and the Randstad more quickly. NS, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, ProRail and the partners in the northeast of the Netherlands are continuously discussing how to make the Zwolle connection more robust and faster. This sprinter runs on this route twice an hour on Monday to Friday from morning to 20 pm. The sprinter runs on this route once an hour in the evenings and on weekends.