Actually there are two bottlenecks. The first bottleneck is Meppel station. There are now three platform tracks there and all intercity trains and local trains to and from Groningen, Drenthe and Leeuwarden have to pass there. In both directions. So if there is a problem there, things quickly get stuck there. At the very least a traffic jam, often everything comes to a standstill.
Collisions with trains and disruptions on the track occur throughout the country, but between Meppel and Zwolle they often immediately cause a major problem. The intensively used railway line between Meppel and Zwolle consists of two railway lines. There are fourteen level crossings and a few bridges. In the event of a breakdown or collision, train traffic comes to a standstill in this ‘second’ bottleneck.
There is no other option to travel to and from the North than via this stretch of track, so there is no alternative if trains cannot run there.
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