After 20 years of talks, plans and negotiations an deal has been signed to construct a rail tunnel under Delft, replacing the five-metre-high flyover which cuts the town in two.

The two-kilometre tunnel will be financed in part by the construction of 1,500 homes on the space previously taken up by the flyover, the Volkskrant reports.
The first trains will use the tunnel in 2013 and the entire project is scheduled for completion in 2016. The government has agreed to take most of the risks in the project, which will cost around €1bn. The city of Delft will pay a maximum of €5m in case of budgetary overruns.