Lelyline definitively on European railway network

The negotiations on the revision of the European Transport Network (TEN-T) have been completed 2 years after the European Commission's proposal was presented.

Important news for the Northern Netherlands: the Lelyline has been added as an important rail connection to the European network. With this step the EU asks the Netherlands to complete the construction of the Lelyline by 2050 at the latest and fills a missing link in the European network. By adding the Lelyline to the TEN-T network, the Northern Netherlands can fulfill its potential as a gateway between Western and Northern Europe. The strong support from the CPMR North Sea Commission and STRING Megaregion were instrumental in achieving this.

In December 2022, all European Member States already expressed support for adding the Lelyline to the TEN-T network and in April this year, at the initiative of a group of Dutch, German, Danish and Swedish MEPs, the European Parliament agreed to the addition to an even higher category of the network (the so-called Extended Core network with a deadline of 2040). In the agreement that was reached, it was agreed that the Lelyline could possibly be upgraded to this Extended Core network in a number of years.

Matthijs de Vries, deputy for the province of Fryslân and chairman of the Northern Mobility Cooperation is pleased with the decision: “Europe has sent a clear signal with this agreement. The construction of the Lelyline is in the interest of the development of a strong and sustainable European rail network. In addition, there is a real chance that in a number of years the Lely line will be upgraded to the extensive core network, as a result of which the Lelyline will become part of the European HSL network. It is now crucial that sufficient funds from the current and future Connecting Europe Facility are made available to construct this railway connection.”

Context

Both the European Parliament have yet to officially approve the provisional agreement reached by negotiators. This will happen in early 2024. Once this formality has been completed, the revised TEN-T network with associated obligations will come into effect.