Tram 19 ran for the first time from Delft station on to the TU Delft Campus on the morning of Monday 5 October, extending the HTM line beyond its previous end point.
The line starts at the HMC Antoniushove hospital in Leidschendam and runs from there through the Hague districts of Leidschenveen and Ypenburg to Delft.
With the extension there is now a direct and fast public transport connection between the region and TU Delft, one of the most important knowledge and innovation clusters in the Netherlands.
It makes the campus easier to reach for students, staff and visitors, and is meant to contribute to the further economic development of Delft and the region around it.
The first ride and the new stop
Hague mobility alderman Adeel Mahmood and HTM director Thea de Vries were among those on board for the celebratory first ride on Monday morning.
At the new Aula tram stop they were met by board members of TU Delft and by representatives of the university’s works council and student council, including Nick Bos for the TU Delft board, Ronald Kuil for the works council and Anna Sysling for the student council.
Delft alderman Frank van Vliet was also there.
Economic development
“With the extension of tram 19 we are investing in the accessibility of the region,” Mahmood said.
“Good accessibility is the engine behind economic development, because people, companies and knowledge institutions are better connected to each other as a result.” He said tram 19 makes travel between Delft station, the campus and the rest of the region faster, more comfortable and more sustainable, which keeps the metropolitan region attractive, accessible and economically strong for residents and businesses.
