Administrative Northern Netherlands has once again left The Hague disappointed. A summit meeting with the cabinet about the Lower Saxony Line and the Lely Line came to nothing.
Six weeks ago, drivers from Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland were told by State Secretary Chris Jansen (PVV) of Public Transport that the cabinet does not yet want to conduct a follow-up investigation into the arrival of the two railway lines. Because, according to The Hague, there is no prospect of sufficient financing for either project.
Paas says that the cabinet wanted to propose a solution this afternoon, but that it can no longer go ahead due to a motion passed in the House of Representatives. The State Secretary wanted to finance the construction of the Lower Saxony Line with the budget for the Lely Line. The House does not want any shifting of money and has made that impossible through a motion.
“That proposal has therefore been defeated,” said Paas. “We also find that creativity very limited. We don’t think the perspective of realizing one line and limiting the other line is a good one.”
The administrative Northern Netherlands is now entering the Christmas recess with a sour feeling. “It is apparently incredibly complicated. While in my lifetime the national debt has never been as low as it is now.” Paas calls both lines exceptional and therefore does not understand why the next step is not being taken.
The question is what the conversation yielded. Paas concludes that it has not achieved much. “In any case, this is a disappointment, but we are still in discussions. The conversation was necessary to see what is possible and ultimately what is possible is extremely little.”
When everyone’s worries have subsided, the directors will meet again in January. According to Paas, the State Secretary has promised that we will now look at whether money can still be found to take the next steps.
The construction of the Lely line is estimated at 14 billion euros, that of the Lower Saxony line at 1.7 billion euros. The government does not yet have to make a decision about the construction, but it does have to make a decision about the follow-up research.
“The search for money continues. It will therefore have to be broader than using money from the Lely line for the Lower Saxony line,” Paas concludes.
State Secretary Jansen is also disappointed that the administrative consultation today has not brought a solution any closer. He did speak of “a constructive conversation”. Jansen emphasizes that the available resources for large infrastructure projects are limited. “Together with the region, I will look in the coming months to see how we can take steps.”