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According to John Voppen, the rail sector is in a dilemma. It has to do more and more work to keep the Netherlands easily accessible after 2030.

ProRail advocates an exceptional position for the rail sector to be able to carry out projects with a view to sustainable mobility. The railway manager is struggling with a shortage of personnel and material. In the meantime, it is struggling with rules regarding, for example, the lifting of level crossings and animals that cause damage to railway embankments, such as badgers and beavers.

2022 annual report 

In some situations, it also concerns rules on nitrogen, although that is less of an issue for us as a sustainable rail sector. This was said by John Voppen, CEO of ProRail, on Tuesday 2 May during the press presentation of the annual report 2022. Meanwhile, more work than ever is needed to maintain the track and provide more track capacity in the future. ProRail makes every effort to carry out as many projects as possible.

With all the international challenges the world is facing, it is almost impossible to carry out all our work up to 2030 according to plan

According to Voppen, the reality is that they have to deal with growth in the work package, while at the same time Prorail has too few people and materials to do that work. There will be times when Prorail has to make painful choices. “Choices that have consequences for the traveler, freight transport and the accessibility of towns and villages.” , says Voppen in an explanation to the annual report. To indicate the size: ProRail spends approximately 1,3 billion euros on rail projects every year. In 2025 this will grow to 1,8 billion euros. 

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In the meantime, it is struggling with rules regarding, for example, the lifting of level crossings and animals that cause damage to railway embankments, such as badgers and beavers.

Rail work is increasing and will demand a lot from the sector in the coming years. John: “We are seeing significant growth in rail maintenance and an increase in freight transport. In the future, the demand for public transport will grow, although this growth has been less than expected since the pandemic.” ProRail, rail contractors and engineering firms must come up with solutions to free up more space on the already overcrowded rail network. This can be done through smart expansions, innovations such as digitization and the digital train protection system ERTMS, new stations and station expansions.

The rail manager is also working on the completion of the High-Frequency Rail Transport Program until 2030. This ensures that many more trains can run on busy corridors. Due to the increasing train traffic, more maintenance is also required. In 2022, ProRail carried out about 20 percent more work than in 2021. This year, another 20 percent will be added, but that target does not seem feasible given all circumstances.  

According to John Voppen, the rail sector is going through a period of crisis splits justifiably. It has to do more and more work to keep the Netherlands easily accessible after 2030. “But with all the international challenges the world is facing, that is almost impossible. We therefore estimate that with the current way of working of the planned work package from 2025 to 2029, we will probably not be able to carry out according to plan about 20 to 25 percent.” Work then shifts to a later time.  

Exception position

"Partly in the context of the nitrogen problem, ProRail is working hard on sustainability. This helps to keep as many projects going as possible. We aim to have emission-free construction sites by 2030. In addition, work we are working on emission-free rail transport, such as electrification and hydrogen and battery trains on routes where diesel trains are currently running. I see that as a win-win when you consider that we offering a sustainable transport alternative for travelers and shippers.” 

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The CEO therefore advocates an exceptional position for the rail sector. “Unfortunately, not everything is possible in the sustainability process.” Sometimes the rules are so strict that, as a result, rail projects that contribute to making our country more sustainable come under pressure. “It is necessary that there is a policy to allow sustainable projects to be implemented in the short term. Think of broader standards during the construction phase.”  

ProRail is a railway manager. This means that they are responsible for the maintenance, renewal, expansion and safety of the Dutch railway network. As an independent party, they divide the space on 7.000 kilometers of track, regulate all train traffic (160 million kilometers per year) and build and manage stations.

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