The forming parties are more hungry for asphalt than for rail. The bottleneck at Meppel station is given little urgency by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB.
The radio silence of the negotiating parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB – it works quite well. And if nothing trickles out, then they know in The Hague: the formation talks are going well.
However little we know about what is discussed at the negotiating table, the performances of the representatives of the four formative debates in The Hague are so telling.
What the debate on The Hague’s infrastructure plans made clear on Monday: PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB are more hungry for asphalt than rail.
Meppel versus Mariënheem
And this was noticed by the new opposition for the time being, including GL-PvdA, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. They found 40 million euros in the depths of the budget to remove the Meppel bottleneck, but their solution for the narrow track between the North and Zwolle was lukewarmly received by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB.
Those four came up with their own plan: 95 million euros for a ring road around the Overijssel Mariënheem. The N35 runs through the village and is a thorn in the side of the residents. The road is so busy that crossing it is unsafe. The village, the municipality and the province want a ring road around the village.
Everyone in the House of Representatives wants help for Mariënheem. But, GL-PvdA member Habtamu de Hoop and CU member Pieter Grinwis warned: there is no nitrogen space for the multi-million dollar plan. “Money is not the problem, nitrogen is,” Grinwis said. And De Hoop: “We are in a nitrogen lockdown.”
Their Meppel proposal does not require any nitrogen space, they emphasized, because it involves renovation and not new construction. NSC member Olger van Dijk then prepared for successful formation interviews. Other measuring rules and more nitrogen space are being sought to facilitate the construction of roads and the construction of houses.
‘The key lies with the House of Representatives’
The outgoing status of the cabinet also makes the political reality confusing. State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (CDA, railway) said in many words that she would very much like to tackle the bottleneck in Meppel, “but the key lies with the House of Representatives.” She wanted to let her “heart” speak, but as a caretaker minister she can do little.
A year ago she also recognized the problem at Meppel, but Heijen did not want to contribute any money. At the initiative of the VVD, the House of Representatives then made 35 million euros available. Now that Heijnen wants money, it is the new Chamber that is wavering, including its own VVD.
The 35 million euros is sufficient for NSC to start the renovation of the Meppel station. The government hopes to reduce disruptions on the route with an extra platform and track. The additional requested 40 million euros must be used to reduce the number of level crossings on the route.
It seems that PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB are operating as one bloc and are in favor of the Meppel plan. This week the House of Representatives will discuss the budget of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The applicants then want to make another attempt to convince the four.
Division over Lelylijn
What the forming parties do not agree on is the added value of the Lely line. The PVV is not in favor. New MP Hidde Heutink hinted in the debate to also use money from the Lelylijn pot for asphalt projects and “if Brussels wants the Lelylijn so badly, let them help pay for it.” The BBB sees the “potential” of the Lely line, but is “critical”, said MP Claudia van Zanten.
NSC member Olger van Dijk and VVD member Hester Veltman are outspoken in favor of the new rail connection between Groningen, Drachten and Lelystad. They know that the 3 billion euros that the outgoing cabinet reserved for the Lely Line is not sufficient.
State Secretary Heijnen placed the future of the Lely Line in the hands of the negotiating parties. “We have to see what the Lely line is worth to us all.”
‘The Netherlands is tired of being stuck in traffic jams’
The four MPs from PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, all four new to the House of Representatives, agreed in their desire to invest more in new roads.
Transport Minister Mark Harbers (VVD), now outgoing, removed seventeen infrastructure projects from his list last June. Due to nitrogen restrictions, rising construction prices and staff shortages, he had to press the pause button. Harbers shifted the 4 billion euros that the package was worth to the maintenance of the existing infrastructure.
NSC wants the seventeen projects back on the agenda and revealed that this is being discussed in the negotiations. The PVV is longing for a new cabinet, Heutink said. “We are stuck in traffic jams because of the government, because of lame excuses like nitrogen. The Netherlands is tired of being stuck in traffic jams.”