Rail freight in Netherlands fears high track access charges in 2023
Until last week, railway undertakings in the Netherlands were able to respond to the draft of ProRail’s new Network Statement 2023. Freight carriers in particular made use of this option, as they are faced with...Read more‘Dutch Betuwe route is ideal for testing ATO on freight trains’
DB Cargo and ProRail are starting new tests with Automatic Train Operation on an important Dutch freight corridor. “The Betuwe route is a very interesting track which is optimised for freight, with ETCS and no...Read more
Waalhaven yard in Rotterdam keeps extinguishing train till 2023
Waahaven South in the port of Rotterdam may continue operating with its current fire extinguishing system until 2023. A new, permanent solution is planned for February 2023. The terminal became available for shunting with dangerous...Read more
DB Cargo and ProRail start ATO testing
A new Automatic Train Operation (ATO) test project started this month on the Dutch Betuwe route. It is a German-Dutch cooperation which will run until the end of 2025. The project includes a one-year test...Read more
This was discussed onboard the Connecting Europe Express
The Connecting Europe Express has passed through several stations in the Netherlands and Belgium today, a chance for Dutch and EU rail freight representatives to catch up on the latest developments. “The Netherlands is doing...Read more
Overlap construction works closes Dutch-German border all weekend
Rail freight traffic on the Rhine-Alpine corridor has faced significant disruptions over the weekend as construction works on the Dutch-German border faced delays. As a result, two vital border crossings between the Netherlands and Germany...Read moreAutomatic sorting resumes at Dutch emplacement yard Kijfhoek
The automatic sorting system at Dutch emplacement yard Kijfhoek has been restored. This was reported by infrastructure manager ProRail. The repair work on the two main rail brakes was completed last weekend. The automatic sorting...Read more
New method calculating charges in the Netherlands: good or bad news?
From 2023, a new method will be used for calculating the track access charges on the Dutch railway network. In practice, this means that the kilometer charges will be reduced by 57 per cent. On...Read moreAutomatic sorting Kijfhoek not possible due to brake cracks
It is not possible to automatically sort wagons at Dutch railway yard Kijfhoek since Wednesday afternoon 15:15. Cracks were discovered in two main brakes of the hill system, reports ProRail. The fault has a large...Read more
Belgium-Germany: estimated costs for flood damage repairs reach billions
Belgium and Germany are heavily impacted by the floods that took place last week. Their rail networks have suffered substantial damage that will need time and high costs to be repaired. In Belgium, these costs...Read more
Floods: long way to fully restore rail freight traffic
Following last week’s severe floods in Belgium, southern Netherlands and western Germany, rail freight in these regions has been impaired for the most part. High water levels and damages are still insisting. However, the infrastructure...Read more
The Netherlands concludes: railway cannot cope with extreme weather
The Dutch rail infrastructure cannot cope with extreme winter weather. It will require billions of euros to keep the rail infrastructure available under all circumstances, such as extreme heat in the summer, or winter weather...Read more
Dutch track access charges under the microscope again
The Dutch infrastructure pricing regime is under examination. Track access charges in the Netherlands are way higher compared to Germany. Simultaneously, rail is more expensive than road transport. These differences hinder a level playing field...Read more
Port of Moerdijk wants to grow by planning smarter
The Dutch port of Moerdijk wants to see if it can increase the efficiency of its infrastructure to drive more trains. It wants to increase the current 60-70 weekly trains to 100 per week. But...Read moreHarbour Line Rotterdam closed for 6 days this fall for new viaduct
The new Theemsweg route in the port of Rotterdam is about to be connected to the Harbour Line. Although this is good news for the industry, it also means that the crucial rail freight corridor...Read more
Concerns in the South of Netherlands about increasing number of hazardous goods trains
Last year, the railway line crossing the Dutch West Braband province saw the transportation of 8,000 dangerous goods tank wagons. This yearly number may increase fivefold in the coming years-reaching 40,000. Municipalities in the region...Read moreRail strikes in Netherlands cancelled as parties find common ground
The strikes that were supposed to be held by rail workers in the Netherlands this week have been cancelled, because trade union FNV Spoor and ProRail have negotiated a new collective labor agreement. The members...Read more
Dutch railway workers on strike this week, starting Wednesday
Railway workers in the Netherlands have announced a series of strikes from Wednesday to Saturday this week. The strikes are organised by trade union FNV Spoor, because no agreement could be reached with infra manager...Read more
Replacing the train detection in the port of Rotterdam
In the coming years, the current train detection system of track circuits in the Dutch port of Rotterdam on the port railway is being replaced by axle counters. The project is the first large-scale application...Read more