More and more concrete after an informal start
The Stedenbaan concept had a fairly informal launch in 2002. During the first phase, the project organisation consisted of a group of committed administrators and another group of civil servants (who were precisely not high-ranking civil servants).

The Stedenbaan was soon given its own place in the 'South Wing strategy'. The South Wing is the southern section of the Randstad, the urban agglomeration on the Dutch coast (the North Wing consists of Amsterdam and the surrounding area). The South Wing strategy is a high-level collaboration project that deals with all the main subjects that are important for the development opportunities of the entire region (economy, accommodation, transport, etc.).

Although the link between housing, work and transport actually provides new opportunities for the Stedenbaan project, there are some concerns that the project will get too big. So separate committees have now been set up: one for the traffic & transport side and one for urban densification.

An important milestone was reached in 2004: after all the local and regional authorities, the national government also decided that the concept deserved support. It has already asked for a calculation of the returns from the Stedenbaan. Joost Schrijnen explains: 'Remarkably enough, the Stedenbaan idea has received support from the entire civil service. This might look as though we are focusing too much on government but it is very important because, if you fail to reach agreement in the administration, you can't negotiate with other parties.'

One important partner in the negotiations is NedRailways. 'The problem is that the railway authorities are used to thinking in national terms and that the Stedenbaan is a regional transport concept. But they have now also initiated a study to look at the feasibility of the Stedenbaan.' Joost Schrijnen thinks that the involvement of NedRailways raises some fairly fundamental questions. 'What are the aims of the railway authorities in the Netherlands: maximising their own profits or getting the best deal for passengers? If we want to provide good-quality mobility in our increasingly full Randstad, we will also have to provide systems that generate and accommodate intercity mobility.'

An important step is now being made through pilot projects. These involve studies to examine the possibilities at and near particular stations in the Stedenbaan network.