Will there or will there be no European subsidy for the new Lely line, a fast railway line between the Randstad and Groningen? The European Parliament, which was previously positive about the inclusion of the Lely Line in the Trans-European Network (TEN-T), has not yet backed down on the necessary decision.
Lelylijn director Stijn Lechner points to Germany, which must speak positively about the plans for a fast railway line for European money. The opinion of our eastern neighbors is important. They extend the fast train connection into their own territory. A lot of money is involved.
At the moment, the Germans doubt the political will of the Netherlands to build the Lely Line. That is completely understandable. The national ambition to connect the Randstad via the Northern Netherlands with the European hinterland is evident. Not in ‘The Hague’, but also not with parties such as the Dutch Railways (NS) and ProRail.
Germany believes that the Lely line is only worthy of TEN-T if it ends in Amsterdam. This also promotes the German commitment to the fast connection (Wunderline) between Groningen and Bremen. Without an end point in Amsterdam, a Lely line or Wunderline is, for the Germans, a line from ‘somewhere to nowhere’. Anyone traveling from the ‘homeland’ to Amsterdam does not want to be stranded in Groningen or Lelystad.
Years ago, northern administrators realized that the importance of the Lely Line and the Wunderline could be greater for the Netherlands than for Germany. Fast rail connections with the European hinterland are few and far between here.
It means that you have to get the Germans on board. To motivate them, ‘The Hague’ must show that the Lely line is serious. Of course, the feasibility must be investigated, but by not giving a price anchor of 3 but 9 billion, you will be taken seriously across the border. At the moment there is no intrinsic will to speed up the project.
Germany cannot be expected to speak positively about European subsidies if the Lely Line is discussed with great reservation in ‘The Hague’.