The executive board of the Vervoerregio Amsterdam protects the condition and operation of the local railway infrastructure in the area of the Amsterdam Transport Region against adverse consequences of activities on or around that infrastructure (see Article 2.18, first paragraph, under e, opening words and under 2° and the third paragraph of the Environmental Act).
Formal legal text Environmental Act
It is prohibited (according to Article 5.1, paragraph 2, sub f, under 4° of the Environmental Act in combination with Article 9.48 of the Living Environment Activities Decree) to:
to carry out work,
construction or maintenance of buildings,
constructing, installing, maintaining or altering works that are not structures, or
the installation or maintenance of other objects, insofar as they are included in the spatial profile, as established by the Vervoerregio Amsterdam on December 14, 2023. This spatial profile will apply as the 'restricted area for local track' with the entry into force of the Environmental Act.
This prohibition applies to everyone. Only GVB Infra B.V. As a track manager, no environmental permit is required when constructing, modifying or managing a local track or regulating traffic on that track (see also Article 9.47 of the Living Environment Activities Decree).
The asset manager of GVB Infra B.V. is authorized by the mandate decision of the executive board of the Amsterdam Transport Region of 14 December 2023 to decide on behalf of the executive board of the Amsterdam Transport Region on an application for an environmental permit for a 'restricted area activity relating to a local railway' (see article 4.7 of the Environmental Decree).
If an applicant applies for an environmental permit for multiple activities, the asset manager of GVB Infra B.V. on behalf of the executive board of the Vervoerregio Amsterdam, advice to the 'competent authority' regarding the environmental permit for those other activities (see Article 4.26 of the Environmental Decree). This will almost always be the mayor and aldermen and is limited to those mayor and aldermen of municipalities with local rail, i.e. Amsterdam, Diemen, Ouder Amstel, Amstelveen or Uithoorn.
The relevant council of mayor and aldermen will incorporate this advice into the environmental permit for all activities requested by the applicant. Customized regulations or permit regulations can also be imposed (see Article 9.3, opening words and (b) of the Living Environment Activities Decree and Article 4.5 of the Environmental Act).