No Compensation for Victims Freight Trains in Euregio

Citizens living next to the railway that might become the main Northerly route from the Netherlands to Germany for the freight trains were frightened to death on the info night in Hengelo October 4^th. The message was very grim: in 2020 the freight train traffic will have increased by 666%. But decrease of property value will not be compensated.

By Jan Gerrits

Train Terror

Already a lot of people can’t sleep well at night, have cracks in their houses and nowhere to go. All the organizations concerning train traffic direct the complaints to each other and the victims are left standing empty handed.

Promises that sonic walls will be heightened and that trains will make less noise in the future were dismissed by the public. That will only mean even more trains will be allowed on the track.

Heart Attack

The scariest part is that the crossing barriers will be closed half of the time in 2020. Imagine the worst case scenario: you’ll get a heart attack. First the ambulance will have to wait to get to you, on the way to the hospital minutes are wasted again. You might die waiting for the freight train.

Another risk is a catastrophe: chemicals, fuel, all kind of goods will be transported through densely populated areas. One man living next to a railway slope said that water was seeping through a lot of the time, which means that the ground carrying the railway and the weight of the trains and their cargo will give way when the trains will be heavy loaded and the groundwater level is very high.

Inaccurate information

Deputy for mobility Job Klaassen from the Province Overijssel wants to calculate the figures again because he claims the information about the freight trains is inaccurate. We are glad that this deputy has come to this conclusion. (It’s sad that he didn’t notice that the information concerning Enschede Airport Twente was even more inaccurate…)

Protest

RONA (Reginaal Overleg Noordelijke Aftakking) reglarly organises protests. Their last demonstration was on Thursday October 7^th to The Hague where the freight trains were on the agenda of the Dutch Parliament. For more information: regionaleactiedag@hotmail.nl regionaleactiedag@hotmail.nl