North Sea Port boosts transport capacity by expanding train tracks
In Ghent's North Sea Port, rail infrastructure manager Infrabel is expanding the capacity of the Mercator rail bundle. This is an important section of track where companies such as Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks and DFDS can assemble long trains. The work started last year and encompasses nine tracks, six of which will be at least 750 m long.
The North Sea port aims to become a multimodal port, supporting not only shipping but also rail transport. This would allow port companies to replace slow and polluting road transport with efficient and sustainable freight trains.
Achieving this goal requires a number of investments to provide the necessary long tracks. Adding extra wagons to a locomotive makes the train much more profitable and better for the environment, but the tracks have to be long enough to support them.
The tracks are not new. The nine-track Mercator bundle was originally built in 1996 and is the second busiest track in the North Sea port. Steel products, finished cars, parts for cars and trucks and raw materials such as coal pass through it.
The North Sea Port project, which will cost around 12.5 million euros, is being funded by the Belgian federal government and subsidies from the European Commission. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2025.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JONAS D'HOLLANDER
Related news
