The Netherlands is investing 30 million euros in single wagonload (SWL) infrastructure. It is a controversial plan, with some supporting it and others strongly opposing the investments. Since the loss-making SWL operations seem to be on the decline in Europe, it is no surprise that some are wondering whether now is the time to spend public money on it. After all, how important is SWL really to the Netherlands?
Single wagonload operations allow companies that do not export enough goods to form a block train to transport their goods by rail. Single wagons, or a small number of wagons, from various companies are combined into trains at shunting yards, from where they depart to the train’s destination.
This type of rail freight operation requires a lot of movements, which leads to high costs and makes it very challenging to run a profit on it.
Rail freight transported 39,3 million tonnes of goods in the Netherlands in 2023, which is around 2% of the total volume of transported goods in the country via all modes of transportation: rail, road, waterways, air and pipelines, according to infrastructure manager ProRail. (Rail freight has a modal share of around 5% to 6% in tonne-kilometres, according to Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis.) Some 15% of the rail volume is moved through SWL operations: approximately 6 million tonnes. That would make for around 0,3% of the total volume of goods transported in the Netherlands in 2023.
In other words, single wagonload only accounts for a tiny fraction of total freight transportation in the country. Despite that, the infrastructure ministry recently announced a 30 million euro investment in shunting operations at the Kijfhoek rail yard, close to Rotterdam.
The investment should help suppress costs, lead to reliable and more sustainable freight flows and support ports and industries. In a policy plan, the Netherlands explains that it wants to change the operating model with a neutral service offering at the Kijfhoek rail yard. That means that infrastructure manager ProRail will take over shunting locomotives from DB Cargo, which is currently the only operator that has them.
The neutral service offering will then periodically be put to the market. That should also improve the accessibility of shunting at Kijfhoek for other companies that offer SWL services, say the Netherlands.
Are the Dutch not reading the room?
The move to support SWL operations at Kijfhoek could be seen as somewhat remarkable. In Germany and Switzerland, recent developments have suggested a move away from SWL because it is not financially viable. As part of its restructuring process, DB Cargo floated the idea of quitting single wagonload altogether. The Swiss SBB Cargo is planning to close three SWL terminals.
Dutch rail freight association RailGood has been opposed to the investment, saying that it primarily allows large companies with foreign shareholders to profit from lower fees and that it is a “waste of taxpayer money”. Why, then, would the Dutch government commit to a multimillion investment in SWL?
The answer is found in a report by infrastructure manager ProRail. It points out that single wagonload operations are crucial for a number of economic sectors, like the steel, chemical and paper industries. It is no wonder that shippers’ association evofenedex has been supportive of the 30 million investment.
A necessity for some industries
The products of the steel, chemical and paper companies are often unsuitable for container-based transport, and cannot move via the road for various reasons. “In particular for long-distance transport, the railways are a secure mode of transportation”, says ProRail. “In some countries, particular groups of chemicals can only be transported by train.”
The availability of SWL services should also improve the business climate in the area of the Port of Rotterdam. “For the abovementioned reasons, SWL has a high (potential) economic value for the Netherlands and can play a role in making both existing and transport flows more sustainable […]”, says ProRail.
In 2022, 130 companies moved their goods by single wagonload transport in the Netherlands. The vast majority of those are in the steel and chemical industries, which add 24 billion and 55 billion euros to the Dutch economy. The SWL investment comes at a moment when eight chemical companies have already left the country in 2025 due to the high costs.
Beyond the Netherlands
The Kijfhoek rail yard offers connections to various industrial zones across the Netherlands, but also to European destinations. Freight flows to and from Germany dominate here (80% of the total international traffic), with around 100,000 wagons being exchanged annually with the Netherlands’ eastern neighbour. Kijfhoek sorts around 175,000 wagons yearly.
| Country | Financial measures | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | €300 million/year for 2024–2028 | Federal government investment in a stimulus scheme to strengthen single wagonload traffic. |
| France | €450 million (June 2022 – December 2025) | Subsidy to support the first and last mile of single wagonload transport. |
| Belgium | €15 million (2023) | Stimulus package for the neutral sorting yard in Antwerp-North. |
| Austria/Switzerland | Active incentive policies | Minimal fees for railway usage, promoting single wagonload transport over road freight. |
Other European countries have seen their single wagonload operations decline, says ProRail, and are therefore resorting to active support measures. France currently has a 450 million euro scheme for first and last-mile operations, and Germany spends 300 million euros in subsidies for SWL. In 2023, Belgium invested 15 million euros as a stimulus package for the Antwerp Noord rail yard.
It seems that the Netherlands has chosen to support SWL, in order to not fall behind European competitors in attracting (rail) freight and to support the modal shift. Despite that, ProRail foresees no spectacular SWL growth in the coming decades. In a best case scenario, with a level playing field between rail and other modes of transport, the Digital Automatic Coupler and Automated Train Operations implemented, a neutral service offering at Kijfhoek and Industrial growth, the maximum SWL volume in 2050 is 9 million tonnes (+50% compared to 2024).
In a worst case scenario, where none of those positive factors come true and the road sector manages to become more sustainable, SWL volumes could be as low as 2,8 million tonnes in 2050.