The Dutch province of Gelderland has not received any tenders for the construction and operation of the Gelderland Rail Terminal (RTG). The Provincial Executive reports this to the Provincial Council. Based on a tender, interested parties could register for the project until the end of December 2023. The big question is: what next?

The reason for the lack of interest among contractors and/or operators is still a matter of speculation. “The Provincial Executive is disappointed and will map out the consequences and options and will then inform the Provincial Council about this,” the Provincial Executive states.

Everything was set up

On November 1, nothing seemed to stand in the way of the construction of the rail terminal. The national advisory body Council of State at the time announced that it had definitively rejected all objections to building RTG. This meant that the spatial allotment for the rail terminal was fixed. “The water permit and the exemption for the Nature Conservation Act are now also final. This allows us to continue with our plans,” the province reported at the time.

“This ruling allows us to complete the current tender for the construction and operation of the Rail Terminal, because it offers interested market parties certainty that the rail terminal is spatially feasible. The Rail Terminal allows the transport of goods in Gelderland via the ‘Betuwe Line’. Freight transport by rail is more sustainable and leads to fewer trucks on the road.”

The intention was to start the first works in the second quarter of this year, such as preparing the site for construction and constructing an access road. The construction and operation of the rail terminal would only have to be awarded to an operator, according to a statement by the province in November.

A setback for the province

Gelderland Rail Terminal is a prestigious project for the province. The project was presented as the first sustainable rail terminal in the Netherlands that would use the rollout speed, rendering shunting unnecessary. This is supposed to lead to a smaller environmental impact and more efficient business operations.”

The underlying goal of RTG is that companies from the region can use transport on the Betuwe Line. At the location where RTG is to be built – near Valburg – three types of transport converge: rail via the Betuwe Line, road transport via the A15 and water transport via the river Waal. The province was sure of success: “This combination makes the area even more attractive as a business location for companies. This makes
the regional and national economy stronger. It is also a stimulus for employment in the region.”

This article was originally published on our sister publication SpoorPro.nl