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.

The study was carried out in order to solve the current bottlenecks identified by NSP, Infrabel, and ProRail. The first bottleneck is the increasing demand for rail transport that cannot be supported by the existing infrastructure. The second one is that low rail capacity represents an obstacle to the modal shift from road to rail.

Three solutions to improve rail freight at the North Sea Port

A first study that was presented by the Dutch and Belgian governments in 2019 highlighted three possible railway developments, as NSP claimed. The first is 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.

The second development proposed by this study is a new railway arch east of the Sluiskil Bridge, a handful of kilometres south of Terneuzen. As was mentioned in a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2021 by various Dutch and Belgian representatives, the bridge is expected to reach its maximum capacity by 2030. As the MoU reported, this means that “from then on, the growth of rail freight transport can no longer be accommodated”. In addition, the arch would ensure that trains coming from the Axel Plain would be connected to the European network without having to deviate their route through Terneuzen.

The third and final project brought forward by the parties involved is to create a rail connection at the Kluizendok, in Zandeken, 20 kilometres north of Ghent. This new 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. Moreover, the MoU mentioned that “a northern access and expansion of the Zandeken bundle increases capacity on the west bank of the canal and optimizes logistics in the port complex”.

Rail Ghent Terneuzen

The new study is expected to start at the end of the summer of 2023. “ProRail and Infrabel will enter into dialogue with residents and organizations in the area”, NSP continued. Specifically for this project, NSP and the two IMs have launched a joint venture called Rail Ghent Terneuzen.

The MoU also contained estimated costs for the three projects mentioned above, which totalled 197,4 million euros. It needs to be mentioned that these estimates do not include VAT and were calculated with 2020 price levels. The Netherlands and Belgium would equally split the costs “if the conditions of the adaptive system are met, including administrative decision-making on taking the next step”.

In 2021, the Belgian government had already allocated 10,8 million euros for the construction of track sleeves near Zelzate. At the same time, the Netherlands decided to reserve 15 million euros for the Rail Ghent Terneuzen project. The parties involved, according to the MoU might also apply for European contribution.

At RailTech Belgium, sister publication RailTech gathers the Belgian rail sector and international players for a conference and pop-up exhibition on 6-7 June 2023. One of the conference’s topics is increasing rail capacity to and from the Belgian ports. Visit the website for more information.

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