Transport & Travel War & Conflicts Politics

€197 million allocated to strengthen railway security

◆1 source

An additional €197 million will be released to better protect railway infrastructure from sabotage, according to the infrastructure plans of Minister Karremans and State Secretary Bertram. The funding is intended for measures addressing vulnerabilities around the railway. Sabotage on Princess Day was cited as one reason for the allocation.

The plans do not provide further details on the measures or their implementation.

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Transport & Travel

Cabinet sets infrastructure priorities

14 sources

The cabinet allocated €18 billion for the maintenance and renewal of roads, bridges, railways and waterworks, with safety and overdue maintenance taking priority. Minister Vincent Karremans said projects that were postponed would be resumed later, while acknowledging that choices had to be made. One report said he also sought €2.3 billion in savings through standardisation and fewer requirements; another reported that safety requirements would be lowered for new infrastructure and that municipalities seeking additional requirements would have to pay for them themselves. Funding continues for projects including the IJmuiden sluice and pumping complex, the Haringvliet Bridge, improvements to the HSL approach route, rail safety, the Nedersaksenlijn and Brainport Eindhoven. One report put the allocation for the IJmuiden complex at €2.3 billion. Other plans were postponed or lost national funding, including expansion of the metro network between The Hague and Rotterdam and RandstadRail, widening of the A27 between Almere and Eemnes, and renovations of the Houtribbruggen and Nijkerkerbrug. Regional reports also said several road, public-transport and water-management projects elsewhere were delayed or removed from the plans.

Transport & Travel

Dutch cabinet funding infrastructure maintenance

7 sources

The Dutch cabinet allocated €18 billion to maintenance and renewal of ageing roads, bridges, locks, railways and waterworks, prioritising safety and upkeep. It said 175 assets, many built in the 1950s through 1970s, will be renewed. The funding includes work on the Haringvliet Bridge, the IJmuiden sea lock, and viaducts on the high-speed rail line between Leiden and Hoofddorp; it also retains funding for the Lower Saxony line and provides money for rail expansion in Meppel and the European rail safety system. Much of the money is being redirected from planned projects, with 29 new projects postponed or halted. Measures include delaying part of Amsterdam's Zuidasdok project and postponing road improvements including the A27, A28, N33 and Utrecht's ring road. Capacity expansion funding for RandstadRail and Rotterdam's metro network is also being withdrawn, while the planned widening of the Kornwerderzand lock and relocation of Ameland's ferry port will not proceed. A group representing municipalities, provinces, businesses, mobility providers and logistics organisations called the choices an important first step but said further funding is still needed.

Disasters

Investigation into 16 Dutch bridges with vulnerable prestressing steel

11 sources

Follow the Money reported that 16 Dutch bridges and viaducts contain prestressing steel that may be susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement, which can cause steel wires embedded in concrete to fail. The number rose from 13 after Rijkswaterstaat identified three additional structures. A single report said that recommended inspections, material checks, recalculations and monitoring had not been fully carried out; Rijkswaterstaat said it had implemented or was implementing many measures and that the structures are monitored. Infrastructure Minister Vincent Karremans acknowledged that not all recommendations had yet been implemented, citing the time needed for the work and new findings. He said available information provides no indication of an acute safety risk, though damage in sections that have not been examined cannot be fully excluded. Rijkswaterstaat is continuing investigations and monitoring, including laboratory testing and further samples from the West Viaduct over the A9 at Uitgeest; initial tests there found no indication that the viaduct is unstable.

War & Conflicts

Dutch infrastructure for military transport

6 sources

The Netherlands Court of Audit reported that Dutch roads and railways do not meet NATO requirements for large-scale military transport. On designated military corridors, lanes are often too narrow, viaducts too low and bridges insufficiently strong; some exceptionally large vehicles cannot use the routes. The exact routes are confidential. The court estimated that at least €9.5 billion may be needed to adapt the infrastructure, including strengthening bridges and raising viaducts, but said many costs remain unknown and the estimate is uncertain. It also warned that large military movements could disrupt other road and rail traffic. Infrastructure Minister Karremans said the government aims to enable efficient, unhindered large-scale and sustained military transport in a war in Europe, and that further cost information is still being developed at European level.