Wim van Wegen on the Initiative Group Lelylijn

Wim van Wegen is a council member and parliamentary group chairman for D66 in the Northeast Polder, as well as one of the initiators of a movement with an ambitious mission: the realization of the Lelylijn. As co-founder of the Initiative Group Lelylijn, he has worked tirelessly since 2019 to put what he believes to be an essential but missing link in Dutch infrastructure on the political agenda. On March 6, 2024, the Initiative Group Lelylijn is organizing a symposium.

What does the Initiative Group Lelylijn do?
“We, a group of like-minded people from the Northern Netherlands, thought it was high time to bring the missing rail link between the Randstad and the North back into the spotlight. In 2019, we established a foundation with the goal of promoting the rail line and getting it on the political agenda. The Initiative Group Lelylijn aims to continuously bring attention to the rail line, with the dot on the horizon that the Lelylijn will eventually be built.”

What do you think Lelylijn can do? What opportunities and possibilities do you see?
“De Lelylijn is, in our view, a missing piece of infrastructure that quickly connects Randstad with the North. If the railroad is built, then you can link all kinds of opportunities to it, such as housing, the establishment of business, economic opportunities. From a socioeconomic perspective, there is an awful lot of potential in the Northern Netherlands. We think the Lelylijn can really boost that.”

What challenges do you think Lelylijn brings?
“Every major project brings challenges. For example, it is a challenge to fit the Lelylijn into the landscape as well as possible, while preserving natural areas. It is also a challenge to make choices about locations and routes. I myself come from the Northeast Polder, an area that did not exist 80 years ago and was created entirely on the drawing board, just like the entire province of Flevoland. Surely it would be strange if, in a project like the Lelylijn, we could not meet those challenges.”

If you could give the project organization Lelylijn one tip, what would that tip be?
“Above all, look at what the Lelylijn can mean for the Netherlands and for the North. Don’t just look at a cold social cost-benefit analysis. I hope that the project organization succeeds in making it clear what opportunities the Lelylijn will bring, so that by the end of 2024 the administrators will take a positive decision about the next phase of the Lelylijn.”

On March 6, you are organizing a symposium. What can we expect from that?
“The symposium will take place in theater ‘t Voorhuys in Emmeloord and it is intended for anyone interested in the subject. We focus mainly on policy makers, politics The Hague, local and regional politicians such as members of the States and city councils, but also on the business community. At 8 p.m. the official program begins, which will be led by Rob Hadders, well known as presenter of EenVandaag. There will be a number of speakers, including René Paas, the Queen’s Commissioner in Groningen and Professor Jouke van Dijk. With the symposium we want to send out a powerful signal that will help ensure that a green light is quickly given for the Lelylijn.”

For tickets: Lelylijn Symposium | Foundation Lelylijn (tickettekoop.nl)

Photo from left to right: Johan Goos, Wim van Wegen, Daniël de Ruig, Henk Pals and Wilko Stornebrink.

Photographer: Pim van der Maden.