Despite big plans to run more international trains in the Netherlands, budget cuts within the Ministry of Infrastructure might prove a difficult obstacle.
As the NOS writes, hefty budget cuts could be jeopardising the ongoing plans to extend the Amsterdam North-South metro line, as well as the expansion of the capacity of the Schiphol tunnel.
As a result, the space for international trains in Amsterdam could be significantly reduced.
An important place
Schiphol’s railway tunnel is an important point in the Dutch rail network, accommodating up to 50 trains per hour. Not just national sprinter and intercity trains zoom through the tunnel, but also international trains like the Eurostar to London and Paris.
READ MORE | 17 places you can get to by TRAIN from the Netherlands
The result? Passenger capacity on the platforms is extremely limited — an issue that was meant to be resolved by the expansion of the Schiphol tunnel and the extension of the North/South metro line.
But after the budget cuts, a whopping €1.8 billion is missing to complete the plans.
Up in the air
With the budget cuts by the Ministry, it’s uncertain if they can implement these infrastructure changes without forfeiting international trains. For now, work on the North-South expansion is being continued — but a significant amount of money is missing.
To make matters worse, the Netherlands is already losing access to the Eurostar line to Amsterdam for six months due to construction in Amsterdam’s central train station.
International trains are a sustainable alternative to flights within Europe, and losing access to even more international trains would greatly affect train accessibility to the Netherlands.
Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮