On track with the Lelylijn: Stijn Lechner looks back on past year

The first year of project the Lelylijn is already over. Project director Stijn Lechner remembers his very first day at the project well: “I didn’t expect to get a camera in front of me right away,” he says. That may have been a bit naive he admits, as the Lelylijn is in the national spotlight and there are many questions and different interests at play. Much has happened within project the Lelylijn in 2023. Lechner looks back on the past year and already looks ahead to 2024, the final year of the research phase.

Project Team Lelylijn achieves results together with State and Region

In early 2023, the project organization and a governance structure were put in place. “Our project team is a nice cross-section from State and Region,” Lechner believes. “Within the team come together men and women of various ages, with different expertise and experiences. We managed to really connect with our environment and included Empire and Region in our story. We held a consultation, created a charcoal sketch and held several design sessions. This worked out well thanks in part to valuable input from the municipalities and provinces involved. We have achieved some great results as a project organization last year and that does give me a sense of pride.”

The power of listening

Lechner found the online consultation to be one of the highlights of last year. “It was the first time residents were asked for their ideas and concerns at such an early stage of such a large project. For us, it worked well precisely to ask residents so early on what they thought about the Lelylijn. It gave us valuable input and involvement.”

Last year, the project team visited almost all municipalities in the area of the possible Lelylijn. It also talked to water boards, agricultural and nature organizations, business owners and students. “We listened to enthusiastic reactions and also to concerns about the effect of a railroad line, for example on natural areas and countryside. We understand well that there are different interests. As a project team, we think it is important to be ‘white label.’ By that we mean that we are unbranded and uncolored. Of course, we as people are never completely uncolored, but we try to leave our personal views at home. And we actually succeed quite nicely, I think. We also understand that some people want to lobby for the Lelylijn. Lobbying, by the way, we as a project team do not do, that does not fit our mission and role.”

Broad and innovative research within one project

Project the Lelylijn can be called innovative in three ways, according to Lechner. “First, for the fact that we conducted an online consultation at an early stage. Second, it is innovative that the aspects of accessibility, area development and infrastructure are in one project. Often different projects are set up for this, but with us everything comes together. And third, we examine the effects of Lelylijn on broad prosperity. So we don’t just look at a numerical justification, but we examine what this new rail line really means for people. Broad prosperity is about the well-being of current and future generations, about factors such as health, access to amenities and the environment in which people live. We chose this approach that way for a reason. We think we will bring about better decision-making through this broad study.”

Looking ahead: working hard and keeping calm

“The big challenge in this project is that we have to deliver a lot in little time,” Lechner said.
“We listen to the environment as much as we can. And from the other side, we also have to stick to the deadline. In six months, in the summer of 2024, we want to have solid results to present. After the summer, we have a few more weeks to connect the dots, and by the end of 2024 there should be enough decision information so that administrators can make the decision whether or not to proceed to the exploration phase.”

“There is a lot coming at us: questions, criticism, enthusiasm, different interests, media attention. It is important to be open to the outside world, but also to keep calm within the team. Because at the end of the day, we just have to complete our mission as well as possible next year. A strong foundation was laid in 2023 and we are well on track, I am confident that we will manage to deliver the necessary and solid information for decision-making by the end of 2024.”