The investment plans are in line with the government’s aim to coordinate spatial planning at national level again. They follow shortly after the announcement of the cabinet and provinces to build more than 900,000 homes. More than half of these must be built in the Randstad and North Brabant. To make new housing estates easily accessible from the outset, the government is allocating 7.5 billion euros. Provinces and municipalities are also contributing several billions.
One of the most eye-catching investments is the rail connection between Leiden, The Hague, Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Nearly 80,000 houses will be built along this so-called ‘old line’ by 2040. There will be four new stations along that route. The track will also be widened, so that more trains can run more often. That costs a total of 1.56 billion euros.
Fast bus to ASML
The infrastructure around Eindhoven will also receive a major boost, amounting to 1.59 billion euros. This will prepare the track for the arrival of more international trains from Antwerp, Aachen and Düsseldorf. An underground bus station will be built under the station. From there, a fast bus must leave for Veldhoven, where chip manufacturer ASML is located.
In Amsterdam, after years of pleading with the government, the bullet is now through the church: the North-South line is being extended to Hoofddorp. This creates a direct metro connection between Amsterdam and Schiphol. Travelers on that route are currently still dependent on the train. The new metro connection creates more capacity on the busy section of track. The capital will also receive money for the construction of Zuidasdok, where the highway will be tunneled through Zuidas and Amsterdam Zuid station will receive extra tracks. The total package costs 5.4 billion euros.
The Groningen district of Suikerzijde will have its own station
Since most housing plans are concentrated in the Randstad and Eindhoven, most investments end up there. Nevertheless, the cabinet, provinces and municipalities also set aside money for other regions. For example, a bus and train station will be built for 88 million euros at the Suikerzijde, a new neighborhood in the city of Groningen. In Gelderland, money goes to the RegioExpres, the train between Arnhem and Winterswijk. In Overijssel, the track between Enschede and Münster will be electrified. This will create a better connection with Germany.
The Lelylijn, the intended railway line between Groningen and Lelystad, is absent from all plans. A train with a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour would run over it, which would shorten the travel time from Amsterdam to Groningen by about 35 minutes. Although 3 billion has been reserved for this in the coalition agreement, the cabinet first wants to conduct more research.
In addition to investments in public transport, the cabinet is also investing more than a billion euros in the construction of new roads. It also spends 780 million euros on improving the cycling infrastructure. The government has already warned of delays. For example, a ‘storage of current projects has arisen as a result of the delay due to the nitrogen problem’, cabinet members write to the Chamber. “We are not discouraged by that. We remain committed to accessibility and water safety, because this is not a luxury but a condition for a country where it is pleasant to live and live.’