Freight trains still stuck in Amsterdam and Rotterdam due to winter weather

Freight trains still stuck in Amsterdam and Rotterdam due to winter weather


In the ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, rail freight traffic still faces considerable disruptions caused by the winter weather. Although the main network is free of snow, many switches on sidings are defective or disrupted, said ProRail, which runs the infrastructure of the network.

“The severe cold last night does hinder the effort to make railways available for freight transport. Switches are freezing again. Today we look at how we can move on in this regard” ProRail said.

“We receive updates on which areas are cleared, but this is not always correct. We have not been able to get a train out of Europort”, said Jolanda Plomp, CEO of LTE.

The reason why railways are not operational is mainly due to switch errors. VolkerRail is working in the port to clear the snow from the switches. “That is quite a job, because there are about a thousand in total on the harbour site. To get to the right switches as quickly as possible, VolkerRail has a total of nine snow ploughs at strategic locations on the harbour tracks twenty-four hours a day. There they use leaf blowers to blow the snow away from the switch blades, so that they can be used again for the train service”, explained ProRail.

For more information visit www.prorail.nl

15th February 2021