DWARS Brabant wants night network and starts petition

DWARS Brabant is not happy with the fact that night trains are not returning to Brabant for the time being. Last week, it was announced that a study by Royal Haskoning (RHDHV) had found that night trains between Brabant's cities and to the Randstad would not be profitable. Tilburg GroenLinks alderman Mario Jacobs informed the city council in a letter that the college is following RHDHV's advice not to reactivate the night train network.

DWARS Brabant would have liked this to be different. We think there is indeed demand for night trains in the province, especially among young people. The municipal councils of Tilburg, Breda, Den Bosch and Helmond have passed motions to discuss reactivation of the night train network and investigate what scenarios would be possible for its interpretation. "We think it is a bad thing that the call of the municipal councils is not taken seriously," says our chairman Nicky van Wanrooij, "if four municipal councils send this signal, we think it is insufficient to give up after just one investigation. It seems as if the will is not there to create a night network."

From research shows that the number of train passenger kilometres is expected to grow in the coming years. Even among young people, thanks in part to the free student travel product, more is being travelled by train. In addition, travelling by train is also much more sustainable than travelling by car, for example. In a society where sustainability is becoming increasingly important, we think it is necessary for governments too to make the switch and commit to a more sustainable society. Choosing not to do something because it is not profitable, we think is pure economism.

DWARS Brabant is therefore launching a petition to reactivate a night network in Brabant after all. We will therefore offer it to the colleges of the five largest cities in North Brabant; Tilburg, 's-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Eindhoven and Helmond. We will also offer them to the Provincial Council and the Provincial Executive. In this way, we hope to show that there is demand and support for a night network in the province. We hope to encourage politicians to reconsider their decision.

Click on the red "petition" to go to the petition.