Amsterdam and the National Growth Fund are far from agreeing to expand the metro network. The municipality is working on two new lines: an extension of the north / south line through Schiphol to Hoofddorp and a new connection between Sloterdijk and Central Station. The box thinks one line is sufficient for now, writes NRC. The question now is whether the funds will be released.
At the beginning of this year, 1.5 billion euros had been paid for the extension of the North / South Line Awarded From the National Growth Fund. This money is not intended for the route between Centraal and Sloterdijk, or the Small Ring, as the fund explicitly stated. And they wrote that the interdependence of the different lines did not appear.
And this is against Alderman Egbert de Vries’s agonizing leg of traffic and transportation. In a letter to the city council he wrote that he wanted to build both lines anyway. It secured support from Dutch Railways, Schiphol, KLM, Haarlemmermeer municipality and county.
“When the fund finally approves our plans, we will say: Thank you for the money. This is our account number, but we will stick to our original plan,” said the councilor.
National Growth Fund
The National Growth Fund was created to finance projects that ensure long-term economic growth. Over the next five years, the Cabinet will allocate a total of € 20 billion for investments in knowledge development, infrastructure, research, development and innovation.
The fund, in turn, confirms that the € 1.5 billion allocated “cannot be used for anything else”. Hence there is a risk of stalemate, which could put the entire project at risk.
Lessons from the north / south line
Moreover, the Fund is not yet satisfied with the plan to extend the North / South Line. With the enormous cost and years of delay still fresh in minds, it must first be clear to us what the lessons are, before continuing the streak. In addition, passenger expectations are clearly not available, according to the fund.
It is up to the next Cabinet and House of Representatives to make the decision.
