Drontermeer Tunnel

In June 2006, the construction consortium Ballast Nedam/GTI SUEZ, ProRail and studioSK were commissioned to realise this construction. Preparations began in September 2006. In December of that year, work started on the first cofferdam. On 30 January 2007, Minister Peijs officially gave the go-ahead for the construction of the Hanseatic Line at the spot where the first work had begun. The tunnel connects Flevoland with Overijssel. The underwater tunnel section covers 790 to 800 meters, while the tunnel basin is 1300 meters long in total. The deepest point of the tunnel is 4.2 metres below the navigation channel of the Drontermeer. That's at a depth of 12 meters. On November 28, 2008, the east and west shores of the Drontermeer were officially connected. In 2010 the tunnel was equipped with rails and overhead wires and in 2011 the first train tests took place. On 8 December 2012, the tunnel was opened for train traffic. The tunnel is designed for speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, but due to the tight curve radius of the Hanze line near Kampen, the service speed will be around 160 kilometres per hour. The tunnel runs through a protected bird area, so during the breeding and migratory season, the noisy work came to a standstill.

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