Due to construction work on the third track in Germany between Emmerich and Oberhausen, there are restrictions on the Dutch Betuweroute this week. Freight trains have to take a detour via the border crossings in Venlo and Oldenzaal.

We work in the period between Saturday 19 and Monday morning 28 January. Between Emmerich and Oberhausen only one of the two tracks is available from Monday morning 21 January until Monday morning 28 January 05:00. During the work freight trains are diverted via the Brabant route (border crossing Venlo) and to a lesser extent via the Eastern Netherlands (border crossing Oldenzaal), said Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail.

It added that transport of hazardous substances will be done as much as possible via the Betuweroute. Due to the work it will be busier on the detour routes with possibly more inconvenience for the environment, expects ProRail. The infra manager encourages carriers to use the more quiet equipment.

Schedule

The rail freight sector will have to deal more diversions this year as a result of work on the Betuweroute. ProRail has published an overview of the planned activities this year.

In order to improve the connection to the Betuweroute, a third track will be laid in Germany between Emmerich and Oberhausen over a length of more than 70 kilometers. This has a lot of impact and will take several years. Among other things, hundreds of viaducts and bridges have to be modified or renewed, stations are being built and noise barriers installed.

2021

State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven recently reported in a letter to the House of Representatives that the German infrastructure manager DB Netze wants to intensify the construction pace in 2021. As a result, the work can be delivered more quickly, but rail freight transport must take account of even more decommissioning in that year than in 2019 and 2020.

Author: Yvonne Ton