The long-awaited fast HOV bus line between Hilversum and Huizen will run for the first time in three weeks. The bus should make the journey between the two Gooise places a lot faster, but you will have to wait a while for the real speed gain.
When the first bus runs soon, the arrival of the fast bus connection through the region will have taken about three years. A lot had to happen before the arrival of the bus.
A dedicated bus lane has been constructed on the Hilversum part of the route alone, including a fly-over and a new bus stop at Tergooiziekenhuis. At the same time, a traffic bottleneck at the level crossing has been resolved, with traffic passing through the Alexiatunnel, under the railway on Oosterengweg and the buses running above in the direction of the bus lane.
In addition – although separate from the HOV project – the bus station for Hilversum station will be taken care of.
The free bus lane is there and the first HOV buses will be able to drive in a few weeks. The first day is December 11 on the agenda, the day that the new timetable will also apply to all regional buses.
The arrival of the bus was mainly intended to make a journey between Hilversum and Huizen faster. “The free bus lane saves you time, but that is not even the most important thing. It mainly means that you can rely more on bus transport. The bus is not in traffic jams and does not have to stop at traffic lights, so you can rely on it is on time,” says spokesman Lenny Berkenbosch of the province of North Holland. In short: if the bus has to arrive at five past twelve, it really will arrive at five past twelve.
Not everything finished yet
However, travelers will have to take into account that not everything is ready. Work still needs to be done on parts of the bus line – in Huizen, Blaricum and Eemnes. The fact that that work has not yet been done is different from what was planned in advance, but the province does not want to speak of a real delay. “We foresaw this because adjustments were made to the earlier designs,” says Berkenbosch.
All in all, it ensures that the bus will not yet be driving the intended route, but a partly modified route. As a result, you will partly notice the speed gain of the bus in the beginning.