D66: Fine Volkswagen €1.25 billion, use money to improve train travel

The D66 thinks that the money the Dutch State will get by fining Volkswagen for the whole diesel emissions fraud affair, should pay for railroad maintenance. The opposition party plans to make this proposal during the parliamentary debate on rail manager ProRail on Thursday, AD reports. Last week Finance State Secretary Eric Wiebes stated that Volkswagen will eventually have to pay the 1.25 billion euros in exemptions the company got by claiming lower CO2 emissions. "We see that the budget for the railway has gigantic holes. The measures that are now being considered to solve this, closing stations and leaving travelers in the cold, are bad for the carriers and travelers", Stientje van Veldhoven, D66, said to the newspaper, adding that the Volkswagen money should be used instead. According to Van Veldhoven, using the Volkswagen money instead of inconveniencing travelers, will also prevent them opting to travel by car, which would make the traffic jams even worse.