Budget Day 2025: Maintenance Task Remains Large, Cuts to Urban Public Transport Off the Table

Today, Minister Robert Tieman and State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (both from Infrastructure and Water Management) announced that €16.2 billion is available for their ministry in 2026. Of that, €1.9 billion will go to waterworks, such as dikes, weirs, and barriers. In 2026, €10.5 billion will go to roads, railways, and waterways.

Of that €10.5 billion, €5.6 billion is available for maintenance and renewal. This work is urgently needed to ensure that accessibility in the Netherlands remains at a good level via roads, railways, and waterways. The demand for transport is growing; we are increasingly traveling to work, school, and for day trips. And the transport of goods, such as supplying supermarkets and delivering packages, is also causing more congestion on the roads. The railways have also been used more intensively in recent decades.

Since much of our infrastructure is outdated, it is due for major maintenance or renewal. In the coming years, many of our roads, waterworks, and bridges will reach the end of their lifespan. This creates an increasingly larger task regarding maintenance and renewal. Moreover, our infrastructure must be resilient to sabotage and cyberattacks due to rising geopolitical tensions and be prepared for the transport of military goods within the Netherlands and to the rest of Europe.

Minister Tieman of Infrastructure and Water Management: “In the coming years, we face the largest maintenance task ever. Next year, we will again invest heavily in the maintenance of our infrastructure, but sharp choices are necessary. There is not enough money to do everything that is needed in the coming years. To keep the Netherlands accessible in the future, a lot of manpower and extra investments are needed.”

In the coalition agreement, a 10 percent cut in urban public transport within the Broad Target Grant (BDU) was agreed upon. This is off the table for 2026. The €110 million cut will be fully compensated by the government in 2026. In 2027, the government will cover one-third.

Many people depend on public transport to get to work, the doctor, school, family, or a party. It is important that they can get there safely, regardless of what time of day they travel. And that staff can do their work safely. €12 million is allocated for bodycams for NS employees and €20 million for improving safety at stations.

“Everyone should feel safe in public transport,” said State Secretary Thierry Aartsen. “Unfortunately, the hardening of society is noticeable everywhere, including in public transport. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of incidents involving serious physical or verbal aggression. Especially staff in public transport are facing this. That is unacceptable. The number of incidents must decrease. Public transport staff or passengers must always be safe and feel safe on the bus, train, tram, or metro, and also at or around stops and stations. I am committed to this in various ways.”

Relatively many traffic accidents occur on N-roads. In the coming years, €345 million will be available from a specific program for the National N-roads to make various N-roads safer. It was already announced in the Spring Memorandum that an additional €115 million will be available for the N36, so that a lane separation can be placed on the most dangerous sections of the road.

To reduce the regulatory burden for SMEs, the mandatory mileage registration for small businesses will be abolished. Currently, companies with 100 employees must keep track of how many kilometers their employees travel. The threshold will be raised to more than 250 employees.

By the end of 2027, the Netherlands must comply with European water quality regulations, which is why €275 million is allocated. This money will go, for example, to creating nature-friendly banks or fish passages. This improves conditions for aquatic plants and animals and makes our water cleaner.