© Stefan Koopmans
Despite several attempts by the province of Limburg, the cabinet will not pay all the extra costs for the Maaslijn. The Limburg Provincial Executive has discussed the issue “several times and from multiple portfolios” with the outgoing Minister and State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, but to no avail, the council said on Wednesday.
The train connection between Roermond and Nijmegen must be renewed by the end of 2027. The project to tackle the outdated line has already been delayed several times, partly due to the shortage of equipment due to the war in Ukraine. These delays lead to additional costs. When the contractor who will now carry out the project was announced last autumn, the total costs were estimated at 358 million euros. That was already 12 million euros more than an earlier estimate. These extra costs are divided between the province and the national government, but Limburg politicians wanted the latter to pay all extra expenses. The Provincial Council asked the council to arrange this with the ministry.
Also read: Major parties divided over extra millions for Maaslijn
But according to the council, the ministry states that there is “no room to make additional financial efforts for the Maaslijn project”. A spokeswoman for the ministry confirms that no more money will be added than promised in the standing agreements because the financial space is not there.
The council does add that it will take action, “if opportunities arise after the formation of a new cabinet to (fully or partially) implement your call.”
Also read: Limburg State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen no longer gets around to ‘moving switches’
