BetuwerouteA route dedicated exclusively to freight transport

08-14-2009 14:44

Betuweroute, an innovative project, has drawn the attention of the entire world. Through this route, the increasing freight volume coming from the international port of Rotterdam can reach faster and more easily to the German border and then on the continent, without crowding the already congested roads. The project was much needed, because almost the entire railway network in the Netherlands was taken over by passenger trains. Betuweroute is a key element of the TEN-T project on freight corridors, whose aim is to provide freight trains with free access to the entire European network with no border stops and without having to give priority to passenger trains.

Innovation

The 160 km-long double-track route dedicated entirely to the international freight transport, begins near the Dutch port of Rotterdam and reaches the German border, Zevenaar-Emmerich. The railway freight route cost EUR 4.7 Billion.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands inaugurated the commercial service on June 18, 2007. At the time, the line was only partially operational. Betuweroute has become fully operational in July 2008, as the largest railway infrastructure project in the Netherlands. Just like the renowned Dutch barriers built to protect against floods, Betuweroute was the source of solutions that can be applied anywhere in the world, especially the innovative technologies for tunnel boring. The Netherlands has the best knowledge in terms of tunnel boring in soft soil. Betuweroute has also applied new knowledge in the archaeological field, due to the fact that, because of the soil conditions, the engineers had to carefully dug tens of kilometres of ground and bore six tunnels along the route, as well as knowledge in the field of safety systems and electric traction systems (25 kV). Betuweroute got its name from a central region in the Nethrelands which this route crosses. With the help of Betuweroute, Netherlands will consolidate its position as a shipping and distribution country with the largest port in Europe: Rotterdam.

The project

Betuweroute is a somewhat unusual railway line, especially built for freight transport in a densely populated area. However, its importance and specificity reside in the fact that it has the capacity to “host” 150 trains per day (10 trains per hour in each direction) and, due to the traction power, the line allows the operation of high-capacity trains and an improved acceleration of trains carrying heavy loads of up to 25 tonnes. Betuweroute is fully equipped with the ERTMS/ETCS2 signalling systems and allows an operational speed of 120 km/h.
Because of the implications of such a large project, the final decision wasn’t made very easily. However, due to Betuweroute, freight in Europe has now a “route” of its own and other will surely follow. In 1994, the Key National Planning Decision was published, the Upper House of the Dutch Parliament gave the go-ahead in 1995 and the final signature for the Route Plan came one year later, in 1996.
Betuweroute is managed by Keyrail, a society made up of Rotterdam and Amsterdam port administrations and the Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail. Keyrail plans to turn Betuweroute into an indispensable link in the international transport chain, where the company has a key role in facilitating the international freight traffic. DB Schenker, which owns 85% of the trains that run on Betuweroute, is the main customer, followed by CTL and Veolia.
The actual works began in 1997. The 160 km-long railway line is made up of two parts: 45 km of rehabilitated track, covering the port of Rotterdam, and 110 km which start from the Kijfhoek depot to Zevenaar, where the line is connected to the German railway network at Emmerich.
A very unusual fact as far as the Netherlands is concerned, a country located at low altitude under the sea level, is that Betuweroute includes five tunnels with a total length of 18 km, as well as 130 bridges and viaducts over 12 km.

What do we like about Betuweroute?

The freight route involves more than just tracks and overhead lines. Travelling from the seaside towards Zevenaar, we come across over 130 constructions, such as bridges, viaducts and junctions, nine of which have a remarkable architectural design. Between Maasvlakte and Botlek we find the new railway bridge Dintelhaven and along the line we can see the Botlek railway tunnel, which was built using an innovative tunnel boring technique. From here, we go to the modernised depots at Kijfhoek. At Barendrecht, the railway line simply “disappears” under a 1.5 km-long multifunctional structure. The largest construction built along Betuweroute is the Sophia railway tunnel, which covers 8 km. Moving on, at Giessenlanden, the route goes through another tunnel, underneath Giessen river. Another tunnel was built especially for Betuweroute underneath the Pannerdensch channel, and at Zevenaar, the route goes through yet another tunnel. All these structures were built in order to minimize the impact of the railway line on the areas it crosses and to create fast passageways over the waters and junctions. This is the reason why this railway freight route is very fast and safe.
The Department of Public Works within the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the one who handled the construction works, took measures to protect the natural habitats and fauna in the area. To that effect, numerous passageways were built along the line, allowing animals to cross from one side to the other, as well as a special pipe system in conformity with the natural environment.

Environment protection

Before the construction of Betuweroute, the noise level was estimated and calculated and, to that effect, where needed, measures were taken to reduce it. Thus, several houses were sound proofed and acoustic screens were installed along the route, as well as a series of other measures meant to reduce the noise level generated by the trains. The Dutch Government encourages the manufacture and operation of silent trains through the Fluistertrein project (the “whisper” train). This project aims at improving railway traffic in the future, without increasing the noise level.
The amount guaranteed by the European Union for this edifying project in the field of international railway freight transport is fixed annually, based on the requests submitted by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. The total contribution of the European Union amounts to EUR 136 Million. Betuweroute represents a positive example, which other European countries should follow. Why positive? Due to the involvement of the government and authorities in order to improve and promote rail transport, as well as to the support granted to a European project: a railway network dedicated exclusively to freight transport.
However, not only the Netherlands invests significant funds in order to support railway passenger/freight transport. Other European states as well invest in this type of transport, promoting it as a viable sector for making investments in times of crisis, with long-term benefits. 
Spain, for instance, placed infrastructure projects first on the list of anti-crisis programmes. By 2020, the investments made in the high speed railway network have been estimated at EUR 108 Billion. Great Britain will invest approximately £20 Billion to increase the railway transport capacity. Germany has allocated EUR 62 Billion for the entire railway network during 1991-2012. France has allocated EUR 18.3 Billion by 2010, Switzerland – EUR 19.7 Billion during 1998-2018 and, last but not least, Austria will invest EUR 10.39 Billion by 2010 to improve network capacity.

Elena Ilie

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