Utrecht requests billions for second intercity station

Utrecht wants to build a second intercity station and a new tram line or express bus lane to cope with the region's explosive growth. The city and province therefore asked the national government for billions of euros to achieve this, Utrecht traffic alderman Lot van Hooijdonk confirmed to NOS.

Utrecht is the fastest growing region in the Netherlands, with some 140 thousand new homes set to be built in the province over the next 12 years.

"That amounts to more than a quarter of a million new residents", VVD deputy Dennis Straat said to the Volkskrant. "You can not transport such large numbers of extra residents with the current system."

Utrecht is considering the southeast corner of the city as a possible location for a second intercity station. Upgrading Lunetten station is one of the options they are looking at. Utrecht then also wants a new tram line or express bus lane around the city, so that not all travelers have to travel through Utrecht Central Station. 

The province and the city each set aside 100 million euros for their public transit plans, but that is not nearly enough. The Ministers of Infrastructure and Home Affairs will discuss this request with the municipality and province on June 4th.