ProRail to repair HSL-Zuid high-speed line viaducts by 2031

Damage to viaducts limits trains on part of the HSL-Zuid to 120 instead of 300 km/h; on behalf of the ministry and together with the line operator Infraspeed, ProRail is repairing ten viaducts so that 300 km/h is possible everywhere again by 2031 at the latest. Under the plans of 7 September 2026 the Hoofddorp–Rotterdam section will be closed for 112 days in 2028, probably from 4 September, and for another 50 days in 2029 (Zuidweg viaduct near Rijpwetering) plus some extended weekends; the four southernmost viaducts come first, a pile wall has already been built at the Zuidweg viaduct as the first step, and the report gives no costs. In December 2025 ProRail had still applied for a closure of at most 82 days and hoped to tackle four viaducts, winning back about half of the delays on the line. Announced on 24 December 2025; the date is a placeholder: the article names only 2031 as the latest date for full speed. (LOK Report, 7 Sep 2026; earlier report of 24 Dec 2025)