No new railway lines in the Netherlands for the time being 20/03/23

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Source: https://www.railfreight.com/policy/2023/03/20/no-new-railway-lines-in-the-netherlands-for-the-time-being/

 

The Dutch government has cancelled virtually all construction plans of new roads and railway lines in the Netherlands. The money allocated for this will now mainly be spent on maintenance, says Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management. This was reported by the Dutch press agency ANP.

 

“We cannot implement new plans for the construction of infrastructure in the short term,” said Harbers. The minister cites the nitrogen crisis, staff shortages and rising prices as reasons for the change of policy. According to Harbers, money for new roads and railway lines is desperately needed for the renovation of roads, bridges, viaducts and locks. New infrastructure is less of a priority, he suggests.

7.5 billion reallocated

The coalition agreement allocated 7.5 billion euros to new roads, railway lines and cycle paths. It seems that most new construction projects will not get the green light for the time being. Projects that already have a permit, have started or are part of an established route will be continued.

According to the rail infrastructure manager of the Netherlands, ProRail, the decision has only little impact on the rail sector, as most of the planned projects can still be realised.

ProRail spokesman Aldert Baas told our sister publication SpoorPro that this is not a guarantee. “If it turns out that too much nitrogen is being emitted during a railway construction project, we will need to look at a different approach for each project. For example, by focusing even more on electrical equipment on specific projects.”

Nitrogen problem

Baas said that he understands very well that the cabinet is looking critically at the nitrogen problem. “We do that ourselves.” According to the spokesperson, ProRail has recently been looking very closely at the rail projects that are planned for the coming years.

“We have examined about 300 of them, mainly projects that fall under management and maintenance.” Railway construction falls under a different category, but those planned projects can also go ahead as usual, according to the infra manager.

This article was originally published on Spoorpro, our sister publication.

 

Author: Jeroen Baldwin

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