The announcement came down today, the high speed rail (HSL) link between Amsterdam and Rotterdam is now in use. Unlike most intercity trains, the high speed will not have any stops between Schiphol airport and Rotterdam, further speeding up the ride.

Of course the price of this faster ride will cost a bit more than the normal price, Amsterdam-Rotterdam is said to cost 7 euros more during rush-hour. (before 9am) another caviot, currently the trains running on the new track can only go 160km per hour. Next year the NS will start running new trains that go 250km per hour which will cut travel times even further.

Not only will the travel time between both major cities decrease, the rail company also expects to cut travel time from southern cities like Breda, in half. Starting in December the Thalys trains will ride from Amsterdam to Paris at maximum speed, which makes for a trip of just under 3 hours.

Here's a video of the announcement (in dutch):