Appoint a rail commissioner!
The outliers in the weather have shown that our rail infrastructure can handle much, but not everything.
Not illogical as it was often built long ago, with the requirements and knowledge of the time, and is maintained with the choices of today. Although maintenance and investment have been almost minimal for years, the rail industry has managed to get the most out of the current system. For instance, much has been achieved in terms of fault and cost control. But we are on the verge of the impossible with rail. Making significant strides in availability and capacity requires substantial choices and investments in equipment and infrastructure. This is not a tap you turn on: we have to make designs, train engineers, order equipment. That takes years and we will be building for decades to come.
ERTMS, the safety system that allows more trains to run in shorter intervals, is one way of increasing transport capacity on the railways. Converting the power supply system to 3 kilovolt DC voltage (easy for ProRail, difficult for NS), expanding junction, platform and siding capacity and replacing track bodies, some of which are more than 100 years old, are also examples through which transport capacity can be increased.
Addressing these challenges requires integrated management, decision-making and financing, specific knowledge as well as public communication. But none of the parties involved is capable of this now: not NS, not ProRail, not the suppliers and contractors, not the ministry. So whose mission is this, lest it become nobody's mission? Safe, green, reliable and affordable rail is in everyone's interest. The mandate for this lies with the minister. He can decide to do this himself or appoint a commissioner to drive this process. In any case, he will have to be able to rely on a staff from all sections that does have power, knowledge, money and authority.
In the past, when the need became clear, vigorous organisations were set up by BV Nederland to achieve a well-defined goal within a sufficient time frame. For instance, the Delta Service was set up to prepare and implement the Delta Plan.
Preference is therefore given to a 'Rail Commission', with a ten-year mandate and a tightly defined remit: develop a vision of what the Dutch rail infrastructure should look like in 10 and 20 years' time. Acquire the necessary support and resources for this vision. Do what is necessary to make Dutch rail fit for the future. Future generations will thank us for it.
Erland Tegelberg
KIVI Department of Rail Systems
