Uithoflijn will probably start riding on July 29

In the letter to the council (pdf in Dutch, ed.) the alderman says that July 29 is “emphatically in focus” as the intended start date of line 22, as the tram to De Uithof will be called. Van Hooijdonk cannot make promises, more tests still have to be done and work is still taking place.

Moreover, there are still consultations with the university and UMC Utrecht about whether the tram does not ‘leak’ too much electricity. This could cause problems for scientific measuring equipment. According to the alderman, this seems to be solved.

In the past test period with test rides, no further matters have come to light which would prevent commissioning this summer. Factory problems with the barriers on the Koningsweg should be solved.

In an earlier plan it was assumed that the tram would only start running at the end of December. This spring it became clear that it was possible that passengers could travel on the tram earlier. Initially, it was intended that the tram, which is millions of euros more expensive than expected, would be running in the summer of 2018.

According to the alderman, the tram initially runs twelve times per hour, so every five minutes. In 2020 the frequency must be increased to sixteen times per hour. Van Hooijdonk acknowledges that not all road users are used to the tram. Cyclists, for example, cross over if they are not allowed or wait on the tram track without minding an approaching tram. The alderman hopes that the current awareness campaign will have an effect.