In 2024/25, a lot of hard work will be done in both Germany and the Netherlands to ensure that the Wunderline can start running in early 2025. Among other things, tracks and platforms will be adapted and prepared for the speed increase, and stations will be improved for, among other things, better accessibility and logical connections to other means of transport. The new Friesenbrücke will also be ready by the end of 2024.

The Wunderline and the new Groningen Main Station
At the same time, Groningen's Main Station is being rebuilt. Naturally, the Wunderline will also get a place there on one of Arriva's interconnected tracks. This means that from summer 2025, when the interconnection is complete, the Leeuwarden-Groningen local train will continue as an express train to Leer. And vice versa, the express train from Leer will continue from Groningen as a local train to Leeuwarden.

Reduce travel time even further?
With the German project partners of the Wunderline, among others, the province agreed in 2019 to continue working on a sequel, a second construction step, after 2024, in which the journey time will be further reduced by 15 minutes. Funding for this second construction step has not yet been finalised. It has been investigated whether another interpretation is possible by means of a transfer-free connection. An interchange-free connection requires infrastructure measures such as additional rail capacity in Germany and the Netherlands. The turning possibilities of this train at Groningen and Bremen stations also need to be examined. This study will be discussed in the States Committee on 13 September 2023.