Maasvlakte railway development
Container traffic volumes at the port of Rotterdam are expected to grow. Rail freight transport to and from the Maasvlakte, as well as in Europoort and Botlek, are also expected to grow over the coming years.
To accommodate this growth, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, ProRail, the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management and the European Union are investing in sustainable and efficient rail development.
Solving Maasvlakte rail bottlenecks
The Port of Rotterdam Authority and ProRail have drawn up a Logistics Vision for rail freight transport in the Port area. This plan provides insight into the (future) capacity bottlenecks on the Port Railway as well as how these obstacles might be remedied going forward. The Port Authority, ProRail and the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management are achieving this by investing in process- and infrastructure-related measures.
What will happen?
A number of infrastructure projects are planned in the period up to 2040 that will increase rail access to the Maasvlakte. We are implementing these projects in phases. First, the Port Authority is increasing rail capacity at Maasvlakte rail yards. We are realizing the first phase of the Maasvlakte-Zuid railway yard in collaboration with ProRail. This will provide a robust hinterland connection for rail freight that will be operational by mid-2027.
The total development consists of:
- construction of a new Maasvlakte-Zuid railway yard of up to 4 bundles of 6 tracks each suitable for 740-metre trains;
- electrification of the distribution triangle and outer contour;
- changes to the C2 bend;
- and two through tracks.
Start of construction of Maasvlakte-Zuid railway yard
In the period 2023-2027, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will start development of the Maasvlakte-Zuid railway yard. The final situation involves up to four bundles of six tracks each. The railway yard will be built in phases and connect to the outer contour APMT and RWG and to the western bundle.
In collaboration with ProRail, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is realising the first phase of the Maasvlakte-Zuid railway yard, which will be operational mid-2027. Realisation of the other bundles is directly related to the actual growth in rail freight transport at the Maasvlakte. The second bundle is expected in mid-2040.
Reducing carbon emissions
To optimize the logistics process and make it more sustainable, we are electrifying the final sections of the Maasvlakte Port railway line. To reach the terminal destination at the port, trains still need to switch to diesel locomotives. This causes longer waiting times. Electrifying the distribution triangle and outer contour will eliminate the need for these diesel locomotives. The result will be lower emissions, fewer stops and shorter waiting times.
Robust hinterland connection
ProRail and the Port Authority are committed to a robust hinterland rail connection. All these investments are designed to improve international rail freight transport, reduce road transport, and provide a proper alternative to inland waterways at low water. This represents an important contribution to the realization of the Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal, and we are working together to ensure greater accessibility for the Netherlands and the European hinterland.
Given the wider European importance of improving rail freight transport in the port of Rotterdam, the European Commission has granted Connecting Europe Facility funding.
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