More rail in the plans

The North Sea Port always retained its ambition of becoming a true multimodal hub in Western Europe. This ambition leads it to develop rail freight consistently with a vision to acquire as many train services as possible by improving infrastructure and acquiring new rail links.

One of the latest developments in this regard concerns the 3.4 million euro funding that the North Sea Port received from CEF to develop the direct rail link between Terneuzen (NL) and Ghent (BE). On top of this EU funding, the Dutch and Belgian governments have also pledged approximately 240 million euros for the construction of this rail link, according to the North Sea port.

However, there’s more than that since the cross-border port is simultaneously undertaking other equally important projects. For instance, the plans include a new border-crossing railway line east of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal between Zelzate (BE) and Axel (NL). Building a railway line east of the canal would relieve some pressure from the line on the west bank of the Canal as well as create additional capacity for more trains to run.

Moreover, the port aims to build a new railway arch east of the Sluiskil Bridge, a few kilometres south of Terneuzen. The bridge is expected to reach its maximum capacity by 2030, thus hindering the further growth of rail freight. Apart from ensuring enough capacity, the arch would also ensure that trains from the Axel Plain would be connected to the European network without deviating their route through Terneuzen.

The third and final project undertaken in the North Sea Port concerns establishing a rail connection at the Kluizendok in Zandeken, 20 kilometres north of Ghent. This new railway section would solve the problem of granting access to the Zandeken bundle to trains to and from the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the south of the Dutch region Zeeland.

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’

This was announced by the RFC Rhine-Alpine. The map can be found on the Customer Information Platform, a digital environment available for customers. In January 2020 a regular update of the maps will take place, and more information will be available by that time, the RFC said.

Rail market share

Terneuzen makes up the North Sea Port with Vlissingen, also in the Netherlands, and Ghent in Belgium. In addition to Rotterdam, all these ports are now included in the Rhine-Alpine corridor. According to the RFC, these four ports represent a total maritime cargo transshipment of more than 70 million tonnes, while the hinterland strategy focuses on the development of rail market share. In Terneuzen rail freight volumes are expected to double in the next ten years. “We are looking forward to support the planned shift from road to rail”, the RFC commented.

In total the Rhine-Alpine corridor includes 7 sea ports and 10 inland ports. It counts a total of 3,900 kilometre in railway lines, stretching from the North Sea ports to the north of Italy. It is the most volumuous corridor of the EU core network.