The best perspectives for the Dutch Randstad to content for its position in Nordwest Metropolitan Area is to stimulate functional co-operation between the big cities. Good accessibility is essential for an optimal interaction between the cities. Three concepts have been developed which can attribute to a better rail link of vital functions in the Randstad: (1) A railway which links the 'inner circle' and the edges of the cities (peripheral nodes), combined with a high quality link to the centres of the cities. A magnetic levitation train is the preferred rail system because of its very high average speed; (2) A fast railway linking the centres of the big cities (centre nodes), combined with a high quality light-rail or metro system to connect the peripheral nodes. A high speed train constitutes the best alternative, because of the good interchange with regular railways, combined with its relatively high average speed: and (3) a fast railway linking both centre and peripheral nodes in every big city. The average speed of the linking system will decrease compared to the two other concepts, but more nodes will be directly accessible. The choice between railway systems comes down to a comparison of better interchange between both systems and the environment by a high speed train or a more expensive but much faster linkage by a magnetic levitation train. (A)
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