Entrepreneurs in the Northern Netherlands: “invest in a super fast train between Groningen and Amsterdam
The imminent economic recession can best be combated with a substantial investment in infrastructure, says the VNO / NCW MKB-Noord, the entrepreneurs organisation for Northern business-people. Specifically, they say, in a fast train connection between Groningen and Amsterdam, called the ‘Lelylijn’. This connection could then provide a major economic impulse for the Northern Netherlands, with the eventual aim of bringing it much closer to the Randstad’s economy.
All this comes from an interview with Ton Schroor of VNO / NCW MKB-Noord by RTV Drenthe.
According to the organisation, entrepreneurs expect that the Dutch economy will experience its deepest dip in a hundred years. For example, the recreational sector in Drenthe will shrink by 41 percent this year.
“Beating the crisis can only be done by investing heavily,” explains Schroor. “We are looking at whether there are large investments that have a greater regional impact on the economy.”
The rail connection from Groningen to Lelystad, via Emmeloord, Heerenveen and Drachten could be an example of this, says Schroor. “The Lelylijn creates a structural shock. It ensures that we get more companies to the Northern Netherlands and that more people live here, but also that people who live in the Randstad start working here. It creates a whole new economic dynamic. ”
“This type of investment ensures that we will also get a boost throughout the economy. In addition, it is vital for the Northern Netherlands and also provides a solution for another Dutch problem: the housing market.”
That investment must come from the government, because according to Schroor, the business sector is currently struggling with its own issues. It’s also a legacy concern: “with the Lelylijn you can also do something good for the generations that follow us: you connect the Netherlands to each other.”
Image via lelylijn.eu
