The Port of Rotterdam Authority has awarded consortium SaVe the contract to construct the substructure for the Theemsweg route, which is scheduled for 2018 and will finish by 2020.
The SaVe consortium, which is formed by the construction companies Besix, Mobilis, Dura Vermeer, Hollandia and Iemants, will build a raised railway viaduct of four kilometres in length, including two steel arch bridges half-way along the port railway line.
By re-routing of part of the port railway line across the Rozenburgsesluis and via Theemsweg, freight train traffic to and from the major terminals of Europoort and Maasvlakte will increase.
The project will also provide a solution to the problems shippers experience at Calandbrug near Rozenburg as it is also mitigating bottlenecks for rail traffic.
This is due to the expected increase in rail freight transport and ocean shipping to and from Brittanniëhaven, which will put pressure on a vertical-lift bridge that forms a key part of the Betuwe Route’s access and connects Rotterdam’s western port area with the European hinterland.
The new route will cross two arched bridges and will link to the existing track by the A15 by running across a raised railway viaduct.
After the contract, a subproject of the Theemsweg route construction, a superstructure will support the scheme with a railway and all associated systems.
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The Port of Rotterdam Authority, which is coordinating, designing and realising the project in conjunction with ProRail — a government task organisation, has reported that the construction of the entire Theemsweg route will involve an investment amount of around US$ 370 million (€300 million), excluding VAT, with the European Union providing a $76.4 million (€62 million) subsidy.
Additional investment costs will be borne by the Port Authority and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
After realizing the route, the Port Authority will hand over the management and maintenance of the new railway line to ProRail.
In its announcement about the SaVe contract, Port of Rotterdam Authority stated: “Good connections to the hinterland are essential for the Port of Rotterdam’s competitive position.
“Better utilisation of the existing Betuwe Route is not only useful from an economic point of view. Freight transport over rail is also more environmentally friendly than road transport.”
