North Sea Port and ProRail have established a joint logistics rail vision for the Dutch part of the port area. With this vision, both parties want to further grow rail freight transport and at the same time structurally strengthen the collaboration.
The vision is the concrete elaboration of a previously signed declaration of intent and also marks the start of the joint ‘Rail Core Team’. This team combines the expertise of both organizations to further develop rail transport in and around the port as a sustainable and efficient link to the European hinterland.
An important pillar is the modal shift from road to rail. In the short term, the focus is on better use of the existing infrastructure, including via sensor data that provide insight into track occupancy. In addition, North Sea Port and ProRail are investigating new cooperation and bundling concepts between shippers and carriers.
Safety is also a priority, with extra attention to securing railway crossings. In the longer term, work is being done on structural infrastructure solutions, such as the cross-border Rail Ghent–Terneuzen project and the expansion of shunting capacity in the Sloehaven.
The rail network in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen has now been made suitable for freight trains up to 740 meters. This increases capacity and connects better to the European network. Adjustments were carried out in Sas van Gent, Terneuzen-Zuid and Axel, among others.
Photo: Peter Van Parys (North Sea Port) and Dimitri Kruik (ProRail).
