Verbrugge Zeeland Terminal cements North Sea Port’s rail port status

(Posted on 25/09/24)

Two newly-lengthened railway lines have been officially taken into use at the Verbrugge Zeeland Terminal in Vlissingen. This will allow the freight handler to extend the map of its rail operations to the hinterland, and it puts North Sea Port in an even stronger position as a rail port.

Verbrugge Zeeland Terminal is the biggest cargo handler in the Dutch part of North Sea Port. The group has a presence at various locations in Vlissingen and Terneuzen. At the Quarleshaven in Vlissingen, Verbrugge has a vast terminal for handling seagoing and inland vessels and storing products such as steel and cellulose for distribution across Europe.

The terminal was already connected to the rail network, but the tracks on the waterfront have been extended in recent months. They will now accommodate more trains and longer trains of up to 740 metres, allowing cargo to shift from one transport mode to another even more quickly and easily for onward transport.

The construction of the additional track was completed with European support. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) provided part of the funding. Rail transport fits with EU plans for a more climate-friendly economy and greener transport. Rail transport is an important transport modality for moving goods sustainably within Europe.

As a multimodal hub, North Sea Port fully supports those European objectives. Conversely, Europe recognises that the port can act as a lever to deliver its own policies. It is no coincidence that North Sea Port has been included in several European transport corridors.

Rail already accounts for 10% of all transport between North Sea Port and the European hinterland. That's about 300 trains a day. Shifting freight flows from road to water and rail remains a strategic ambition for North Sea Port. Projects such as the track extension at Verbrugge are helping to further boost rail’s share.