Belgian state-owned operator Lineas will take over Area 7 of the port of Antwerp, gaining control of 70% of the area dedicated to single wagonload services. When this new model was implemented in 2024, the company operated two areas, now it does so in seven.
“With Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6B and now 7, Lineas further consolidates its role in connecting terminals and industrial customers in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges with its Belgian and European rail freight network”, Lineas said on LinkedIn. Area 7 is the first one under the control of Lineas located on the western side of the port.
HSL Belgium, part of TX Logistik, which is itself a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned group FS Logistix, operates area 6A, the only one on the eastern side not under Lineas’ management. Areas 8 and 9 have been assigned to Railtraxx, part of Rail Logistics Europe and thus the SNCF Group, since the beginning together with Area 3, which was transferred to Lineas in July 2025.
The division of the port
The division in different zones for single wagonload operations at the port of Antwerp, which is Europe’s second largest, was announced in 2023 and implemented at the start of 2024. The eastern side was divided into seven zones, while the western in three.
The purpose of this model is to introduce ‘neutral’ shunting operations, meaning that companies can use each other’s assets to carry out services. Railway undertakings that need to use the facilities will be able to rely on Lineas staff (or HSL and Railtraxx in case of a few areas 6A, 8 and 9) rather than having to deploy their own personnel.
Lineas taking over Antwerp
In addition to its larger role in the port, Lineas is carrying out shunting services at the Antwerp-North yard. A similar neutral shunting scheme has been running here since 2023, with Lineas being the sole shunting operator. Now that infrastructure manager Infrabel took over the management of the yard, Lineas was confirmed as the provider of services.