As of 2027, Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel “will take responsibility for capacity management, operational planning, access conditions, tariffs, IT systems and the overall management” at the Antwerp-North yard. State-owned operator Lineas, who has been carrying out these tasks since 2023, will remain the one providing the shunting services.
The new structure is part of the neutral shunting scheme introduced at the Antwerp-North site three and a half years ago. Since then, Lineas has also been responsible for both the operational and management aspects of the project. This meant that operators could rely on Lineas’ rolling stock and personnel, without having to deploy their own.
Now, Infrabel took over the management of the site and chose Lineas as the operator through a tender assigned earlier this week. “The new contract awarded to Lineas only covers part of the operational execution, such as shunting activities and locomotive driving. These services will be performed on behalf of and under the direction of Infrabel”, the spokesperson added.
The Antwerp-North hump yard
The yard in Antwerp-North is one of the largest in Europe, with 40 sorting tracks and 96 in total. The port of Antwerp-Bruges, Lineas, Railport Antwerp and Infrabel decided to implement neutral shunting services in April 2023 to create a level playing field for all users. “The objective is to further strengthen transparency, neutrality and accessibility for all railway undertakings”, the Infrabel spokesperson concluded.