{"id":195491,"date":"2025-04-04T18:30:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T08:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=61332"},"modified":"2025-04-04T18:30:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T08:30:52","slug":"this-is-what-the-port-of-rotterdam-and-prorail-have-to-say-about-dealing-with-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=195491","title":{"rendered":"This is what the Port of Rotterdam and ProRail have to say about dealing with uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dutch Rail Congress 2025 took place on Thursday 3 April in Rotterdam. Among the interviewees were Berte Simons, COO of the Rotterdam port, as well as Marieke Schoningh, Simons\u2019 counterpart at infrastructure manager ProRail. Amid global turmoil, the key question for them to answer revolved around dealing with uncertainty.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Simons, who has been in her function for less than a hundred days, was quick to note the importance of rail for the Port of Rotterdam. \u201cI have heard the word \u2018rail\u2019 every day since I started working as COO\u201d, she said. With uncertainties abound, it is important to secure the country\u2019s future earning capacity, according to Simons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means that goods need to be able to reach the hinterland, but we also need to become climate neutral and resilient\u201d, she noted. Resilience means that Dutch rail needs to be able to recover quickly if something bad were to happen. That idea has quickly become a priority in the context of military mobility<\/a>, which is now a hot topic.<\/p>\n

But, Simons said, \u201cwhat is good for defense, infrastructure and energy security, is also good for rail freight and commercial activities\u201d. A robust and reliable rail network is vital. From the political side of things, the most important contribution to providing a sense of security is long-term budgeting, argued Simons.<\/p>\n