Antwerp port area implements new single wagonload operational model
The Antwerp port area, part of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, will implement a new operational model for single wagonload rail traffic. The new system will begin on 1 January 2024, and the Port Authority recently assigned the contracts for it.
This new model entails the division of the port into nine zones “based on consolidated volumes and operational optimisation”. These zones were then assigned to various railway operators. Two companies got most of the cake: Lineas will be taking care of shunting services in areas 1,2, and 6, and Railtraxx, will manage areas 3, 7, 8, and 9. Area 4 was assigned to DB Cargo, whereas area 5 will be available for “individual solution tailored to each freight payer”.
Freight players doing business at the port can now enter first and last-mile agreements with the operators mentioned above. The tenders were launched by Railport, the entity in charge of rail activities at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The company claims that the initiative came at the request of the industry and will allow for the bundling of wagon deliveries and collections in the port area.
A similar project at Antwerp-North marshalling yard
A similar initiative was launched by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges Port last April at the Antwerp-North marshalling yard. In cooperation with Railpool, Lineas, and Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel, the project, according to the parties involved, aimed at creating a “level playing field for all”. The facility will utilise each partner’s services and provide a comprehensive package to railway undertakings. Lineas will provide the shunting locomotives and services, while Infrabel and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will supervise the operational model.
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