The European Union (EU) has announced that it will provide almost €9 million in additional funding to the Port of Rotterdam’s Theemsweg rail route.
The money comes from a European programme aimed at establishing a single cross-border network for land, water and air transport within the EU.
In the Rotterdam port area, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and ProRail are rerouting the Port railway line over a length of approximately 4km to form what will be known as the ‘Theemsweg Route’. The new route forms part of the Betuwe Route, which connects the western port area with the hinterland.
The new section of line will cost around €300 million euros. The EU had already made 62 million euros in subsidies available for the construction work.
It is expected that the new route will be completed in 2021 and will provide solutions to the problems associated with the Calandbrug near Rozenburg.
This steel vertical lift bridge for rail, road and slow traffic in the Rotterdam port area is the connecting link in the Betuwe Route to the hinterland. For ocean shipping, the vertical lift bridge provides access to the Brittanniëhaven.
In 2020, the Calandbrug will reach the end of its technical lifespan. At the same time, a capacity bottleneck for rail traffic is anticipated, due to the expected growth in rail transport, as well as ocean shipping traffic to and from the Brittanniëhaven.
Investment in the project is coming from the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Dutch Government as well as the EU.