The port of Rotterdam is currently dealing with heavy congestion on the land side, and there is a strong need for more resilient (rail) infrastructure. Dutch party VVD has now proposed to use a metro line as a transshipment line during nighttime.
The metro line in question connects Hoek van Holland, located near the Massvlakte and Europoort terminals, to Schiedam, a city bordering Rotterdam. To explore this idea, the province of South-Holland allocated 150,000 euros for a feasibility study. Other than using the metro line for rail freight services, the study will also investigate alternative waterways connections.
The metro line leading to Hoek van Holland used to be a traditional railway line up until 2019, when it was sold to RET, Rotterdam’s public transport operator, and incorporated into the city’s metro network. The option of utilising the line for rail freight transshipment services has been considered since the sale, and it already happened once in 2021. This initiative might thus provide additional capacity and help alleviate the congestion issue.