Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition, representing Belgium) and outgoing State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Infrastructure and Water Management, representing the Netherlands) signed a joint declaration on this matter in Antwerp.

New challenges in a rapidly changing world demand swift action, according to the signatories Crucke and Aartsen. The joint statement states that geopolitical and geoeconomic relations are changing rapidly and that this calls for increased cooperation in areas such as accessibility, security, and military mobility.

‘New impetus and acceleration’

Belgium and the Netherlands are already collaborating to strengthen cross-border connections. The challenge now is to further develop the potential of the collaboration between the two countries and remove all possible obstacles. “Our collaboration with the Netherlands has always been constructive,” says Belgian Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, “but at times it lacked ambition. Today, we want to breathe new life into it, so that we can strengthen our ties and accelerate the development of safe and efficient cross-border rail connections.”

State Secretary Thierry Aartsen agrees: “The world is changing rapidly. Good cross-border cooperation is therefore strategically important – both economically and militarily. And as a traveler, you must be able to travel to another country easily. We are now giving new impetus and acceleration to the cooperation between Belgium and the Netherlands in the field of rail. This declaration is a fantastic first step in that direction. It contributes to the new cabinet’s commitment to continue working on improving the accessibility and safety of our country in an international context.”

Ghent-Terneuzen connection

Both parties also indicate that they do not intend to limit themselves to a mere declaration of intent. They will not only focus on improving connectivity, but Belgium and the Netherlands also want to expand the capacity of cross-border lines. Furthermore, new connections such as 3RX and the rail freight connection between the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen should be considered. Furthermore, new connections between the Dutch provinces of Brabant and Limburg and Belgium are being explored. It has been decided to explore, among other things, a connection between Brainport Eindhoven and Belgium. Both countries also want to further coordinate efforts on increased capacity for cross-border military mobility and improved rail resilience.

To ensure the successful completion of these projects, both countries have agreed that the responsible ministers will meet at least once a year. This will be supplemented by biannual meetings of the Belgian-Dutch working group, as well as meetings between experts on each rail dossier. The intention is for Belgium and the Netherlands to sign a framework agreement covering a series of rail dossiers this summer.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the agreements build on existing collaboration and on rail agreements between Belgium and the Netherlands from 2022. However, the intensification requires additional efforts and, where necessary, substantive deepening. Therefore, it has been agreed to involve regional parties and rail infrastructure managers in the approach, where necessary and relevant.

Iron Rhine and 3RX

And so, the Belgians have finally put the 3RX connection back on the Dutch political agenda . The benefits of this renewed connection primarily benefit the Port of Antwerp. The 3RX route – the Rhein-Ruhr-Rail connection – is an alternative to the Iron Rhine rail link, proposed since 2017, intended to connect the Port of Antwerp with the German Ruhr region. The route largely follows existing railway lines, unlike the original, more controversial route. Reactivating the existing Iron Rhine route is out of the question for the Netherlands because part of it runs right through the De Meinweg national park.

For that reason, the Belgians are pursuing a detour via Venlo (Netherlands, on the border with Germany): the 3RX route. Between 2016 and 2017, Transport & Mobility Leuven, part of the Catholic University of Leuven, conducted research into the reactivation of the Iron Rhine and what it would require. The lion’s share of the work – and therefore the costs – would be borne by the Netherlands.

The report concluded: “The cheapest solution for creating a line is a combination of doubling and electrifying various sections (in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany), constructing a new railway curve near Roermond (Netherlands), and various works near Venlo to divert the train. The total investment cost of this option is estimated at 770 million euros (including risk provision, excluding VAT; uncertainty margin: around 30%).”

The study’s traffic analysis already showed that the 3RX line will primarily be used for traffic between the Belgian seaports and the Rhine-Ruhr region. “It is assumed that the line will be used by an average of 17 to 20 trains daily in 2030, and by 19 to 23 trains in 2040. The traffic forecast shows that the 3RX would also relieve congestion on the Brabant Route, the Aachen marshalling yard, and the Aachen-Düren-Cologne line.”

Aside from relieving the burden on the Brabant Route, reactivating the Iron Rhine doesn’t seem to offer much benefit to the Netherlands. Will the two countries finally break the deadlock? Time will tell. Meanwhile, sister publication SpoorPro has submitted questions to State Secretary Thierry Aartsen about the silent, yet expressed, desire of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to merge the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, or at least to steer towards a more extensive form of cooperation.

This article was originally published by our sister publication SpoorPro.

15% modal share goal

The aim is to increase the rail freight modal share in the North Sea Port from 10 to 15%. To do this, the port also recently invested in rail upgrades along the right side of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. Here, near the Mercator dock, a new rail yard with six tracks of 750 metres in length was opened just three days ago.

Not only Ghent: Lineas in Antwerp

The contract won by Lineas in Ghent is not the first similar initiative undertaken by the company in Belgian ports. For example, a similar project, albeit on a larger scale, was implemented at the port of Antwerp-Bruges, the largest in Belgium and one of the top three ports in Europe. As of last July, Lineas is now in charge of six of the nine rail zones created there.

Moreover, the Belgian company launched a joint venture with FS Logistix, the Italian state-owned rail freight group. The company, named Modalink, will manage the Antwerp Main Hub and operate the feeder services between the different quays at the port. All these initiatives are part of Lineas’ attempt to get out of a struggling financial period by focussing on traction services rather than intermodal operations.

Construction of the two new tracks, being built to the left and right of the existing line, started in 2007. Both tracks will be 38 kilometres long and need to be equipped with overhead lines and signalling, including ETCS. The new lines shall be commissioned in 2027. After that, the renovation of the two middle tracks will commence, which should start until 2029. Other than the track upgrades, Infrabel has also replaced all the 12 level crossings along the line with bridges and tunnels.

Also read:

• Port of Liege invests in extending container capacity at multimodal hub
• Infrabel invests hundreds of millions to upgrade rail operations in Antwerp
• Lineas sets up new route to facilitate COSCO’s disrupted sea services

The warehouse will be located in Ghent’s Kluizendok on the left bank of the port. According to DSV, “the building will contain 6,000 square metres of temperature-controlled storage areas with ambient temperatures of 2-8°C, -20°C and -40°C.” Additionally, it will offer extra space for the storage of dangerous goods and will be able to accommodate multiple trucks at a time, considering that it will have 110 loading and unloading docks.

Also read:

• Belgium and Luxembourg aim to double shared rail freight volumes
• North Sea Port maintains rail share despite persisting challenges
• ProRail and Infrabel to improve rail infrastructure at the North Sea Port
• CEF funding: here are the top projects for rail freight

A year of reforms

It was February 2022 when Lineas announced a sudden change of executive faces. Former CEO Geert Pauwels resigned due to the company’s poor financial performance, and Bernard Gustin was appointed as the company’s new head to help it get back on track.

Despite Lineas proceeding to acquisitions of operators and launching new routes, things didn’t appear so smooth in the background. Blame it on the pandemic, the floods of summer 2021 that impaired the company’s supply chains, or the increased operational costs due to the spiking energy prices; Lineas needed a change.

After Gustin took over, the Belgian private operator kept a low profile, mainly dealing with its financial reformation. A year later, Lineas might be signalling a fresh start with this new Ghent-Lyon rail service. Could this be a new beginning? Time will show. Nevertheless, the company seems to be implementing a more sober and step-by-step approach to its growth.

The definition of circular industry is similar to the concept of circular economy, with more focus on production rather than consumption. As the European Parliament describes it, circularity involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended, which would decrease the emissions produced in the process of making new products.

The North-C Circular industrial estate is a Brownfield Covenant

The development of the North-C Circular industrial estate has been classified as a Brownfield Covenant. A Brownfield Covenant implies the reallocation of industrial activities in highly polluted areas where the soil is contaminated, known as brownfields. Thanks to the Brownfield Covenant Act, approved in 2007, developers can sign a contract with the Government of Flanders and other stakeholders for the realization of a brownfield project.

Specifically for this project, NSP said that 40 hectares of the site present “historic dredging sludge depots that are impeding the immediate development of the site”. Being a brownfield covenant, it is necessary to hold public events to inform local residents, which should take place in the first half of 2023. After that, the project can actually start with studies, the draw-up of a Master Plan, an environmental impact report, and an environmental permit. NSP added that forest compensation will be carried out as much as possible in the vicinity of the facility. “It is currently expected that the first spade will go into the ground in late 2024”, they stated.

ArcelorMittal Belgium’s three steps to reduce emissions in Ghent

ArcelorMittal Belgium is also implementing a three-step plan to reduce CO2 emissions in the port of Ghent by 2030 and be climate-neutral by 2050. The first is to further improve resource and energy efficiency. The second is to embrace hydrogen as a reducing agent, while the final step is the development of the so-called Smart Carbon concepts.

To achieve the second step of the plan, ArcelorMittal Belgium will replace one of their two blast furnaces at the port of Ghent with an installation that uses natural gas and hydrogen to reduce iron ore. The new facility will have a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) installation and two electric smelting furnaces. Producing iron through DRI allows for lower temperatures and fuel consumptions and therefore lower emissions. Direct reduction processes have various other benefits such as lower costs. On the other hand, DRI is highly susceptible to rusting and bulk iron is pyrophobic, meaning it can catch fire.

When it comes to Smart Caron concepts, ArcelorMittal Belgium is, for example, replacing fossil fuels by using waste woods from container parks. Moreover, the company’s Steelanol installation in Ghent is expected to convert steel gases into 80 million litres of sustainable ethanol every year. Finally, ArcelorMittal Belgium and NSP are working with Fluxys, the Belgian gas network operator, on a study into liquefying CO2 and building a CO2 storage hub.

Also read:

• How to reduce dust in the air from steel transport by train
• Lineas launches another rail link between Belgium and Italy
• 12 years, 133 million euros: Zeebrugge presents its new harbour lines

As a result, Infrabel and North Sea Port will invest in rail infrastructure at both the Kluizendok dock on the left bank of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal and the Mercatordok dock on the right bank.

Ring railway, more and longer tracks

At the Kluizendok, the existing bundle for pre-sorting freight trains will be expanded from four to eight tracks with a length of 750 metres. In the future, there is the possibility to extend to sixteen tracks.

In addition, a new ring railway will be constructed that will connect to the ITM container terminal next to the canal, and that will provide better access to the companies around the dock. Finally, there will be a study for the connection of the Kluizendok with a new track to the existing railway line to Terneuzen.

The tracks near the Mercatordok dock will also be reconstructed: the existing six tracks will be extended to 750 meters to accommodate container trains, among other things. The expansion allows companies such as Volvo Car Gent, Stukwerkers and DFDS to improve access to the Ghent-Göteborg scheduled service and increase rail capacity.

Railway lines reconstructed

In addition to the investments near the Kluizendok and the Mercatordok, Infrabel will renovate some existing railway lines. The rail manager makes it possible to realise additional rail connections in the port in the future. The rail expansions at the Kluizendok and the Mercatordok will eventually lead to more freight transport. This transport passes the nearby Ghent-Zeehaven marshalling yard.

Also read:

• Belgium grants additional 357 million for rail, mostly benefitting freight

• North Sea Port maps out rail freight needs with Infrabel

Seeking business opportunities

Adding to the existing ten ports belonging to the corridor, Zeebrugge and North-Sea ports are crucial rail freight players that will add value and “provide new business opportunities”. Their addition is “of strategic importance for the companies wanting to transport their goods safely and efficiently and contributes to the modal shift to rail. Reliable rail freight services, accessible to all, is the way forward and beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” says the RFC NS-B in an announcement.

The port of Zeebrugge has a clear focus on rail freight that occupies around 15 per cent of its overall cargo transport. It has multiple rail freight connections, for instance, with France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. On top of that, last year, it merged in one port company with the port of Antwerp, which already belongs to the RFC NS-B. their goal is to become the biggest container port in Europe, and one can only imagine the possibilities emerging from such a development.

On the other hand, the North-Sea port (Ghent-Terneuzen) has an equally interesting potential. The European Commission had announced since February 2021 that it aimed to include the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal zone in the North Sea-Baltic RFC. The North-Sea port, which already belongs to the Rhine-Alpine and North Sea-Mediterranean RFCs, keeps rail transport on top of the agenda. 7 to 8 million tonnes of cargo enter or leave the port by rail every year. That is 10 per cent of all freight transport between the port and the hinterland, a relatively high share compared to other ports in western Europe. More than 300 trains come and go every week.

East-West bridge

Apart from the ports in the Benelux area, the North Sea-Baltic RFC acquired another station on the Poland-Ukraine border. Medyka, a border crossing and promising terminal will “improve the land bridge between Europe and Asia in the context of the growing traffic between East and West.” “The extension of the corridor to Medyka is another step on the way to improve rail transport to the East and Asian countries, increasing the transport potential of this Corridor and expanding the transport offer, which positively fits in the diversification strategy of PKP PLK” explains RFC NS-B.

Medyka terminal was originally used for the transport of iron ore. Indeed the terminal is part of PKP’s diversification strategy, with PKP Cargo aiming to “turn Medyka into a new Malaszewicze”. However, since rail transport of this commodity was suspended, PKP Cargo purchased two reach stackers to handle containers. Currently, it can handle 3-4 trains per day. One of the main advantages is that the terminal offers transhipment from narrow to standard gauge (1435mm to 1520mm). Moreover, it offers storage possibilities, so the transhipment does not need to be carried out wagon per wagon, as in nearby terminals.

Also read:

• Port of Zeebrugge wants to become a rail freight hub
• North-Sea Baltic corridor now includes North Sea Port
• PKP Cargo wants to turn Medyka into ‘new Malaszewicze’

Venlo integrated

Also in September, the terminal in Venlo, the Netherlands, will be added to the Benelux/Italy connection with five departures a week in each direction. This will be from 9 September, with trains received and dispatched at the Cabooter Railterminal in Greenport in Venlo.

“With the addition of the Cabooter Terminal in Greenport Venlo, we are gaining access to one of the strongest business and logistics locations in the Netherlands with an excellent multimodal transport infrastructure that is in very high demand from customers”, explained Peter Dannewitz, head of sales.

The trains running between Ghent and Milano Segrate will add more capacity to the route between Antwerp and Milano as trains will not need to divert through Ghent anymore. Moreover, with the service offering 22 wagons per trip, it will play a considerable role in decongesting the roads along the North-South axis.

Linking hubs

Ghent and the North Sea Port constitute one of Belgium’s most important logistics locations. Their primary focus lies in transporting and distributing raw materials, additives, semi-finished and finished products. The North Sea Port made the news lately after its inclusion in the North Sea-Baltic corridor and the announcement of a joint investment and development project backed by Belgium, Flanders and the Netherlands.

On the other hand, the Milano Segrate intermodal terminal is already part of Lineas’ network and receives multiple daily trains from European destinations. According to the rail freight company, its location is of strategic importance since it is in the centre of Northern Italy’s economic and industrial heartland. On top of that, the terminal offers more connections to Central and Southern Italy, also providing possibilities for eastward maritime links.

Also read:

• Lineas CEO: acquisition rail operator Rotterdam first step growth strategy
• Lineas adds port of Moerdijk to Green Xpress network
• More joint developments in the North Sea Port
• Why rail could do more at North Sea Port