In 1985 the Van Bonde Commission began to investigate the future of west–east transport. The main advocate of the proposed line was the then minister Neelie Kroes, later Commissioner in the European Union until 2014. In 1992 the German and Dutch governments signed the Treaty of Warnemünde, which addressed enhancing rail traffic and focused on the tracks from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to Duisburg. The original plan was for three branch rail lines towards Germany. The northern branch via Oldenzaal was abandoned in 1999 and the southern branch via Venlo was abandoned in 2004. Also in 2004, the courts[which?] forbade the construction of a large logistics centre near Valburg.
Construction of the Betuweroute in Meteren in 2004
In 1988 the Dutch state-owned passenger railway company NS began work on the line. Delayed by two years, the railway was finished mid-2007. The final cost was 4.7 billion euros, more than twice the original budget of 2.3 billion euros, and more than quadruple the initial estimate from 1990 of 1.1 billion euros.
The large and rising costs, and criticism about government funding, promoted the government to seek private financing for the line, without success. On 16 June 2007, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands presided over the opening ceremony for the 160 kilometers (99 mi) line that connects Rotterdam to the German border.[2] Despite the TEN-T and bilateral agreements, Germany did not expect to complete reconstruction of their lines that connect with Betuweroute before 2015.[3]
The 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) long Botlekspoortunnel under Rotterdam harbour replaces the antiquated Botlek bridge. The bridge remains in service as backup and for regional traffic. Space around the tunnel was so constrained that after completing the first tube, the tunnel boring machine had to be dismantled inside the tube. The parts were then returned to the starting point and reassembled to bore the second tube.
Barendrecht railway station has 9 tracks in a 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) long structure. Much of the structure is covered with a layer of earth, to reduce noise. On top is a new city park. At the station itself, 4 of the tracks and their platforms have a glass roof. Nearby tracks cross on two levels.
Tunnel were built under Pannerdensch Kanaal near Angeren. Instead of the projected bridge, a 2.7 kilometers (1.7 mi) tunnel was bored, to protect the landscape and environment. The tunnel entrances were designed to blend in with the landscape. The tunnel itself has large lockable doors at each end, to prevent a flood on one side of the canal inundating the region on the opposite bank. Because two endangered animal species were found in the vicinity of the tunnel, a new habitat was laid out for the Great crested newt and the Natterjack Toad, as this video shows.[6]
Specifications and features
The route is electrified at 25 kV AC and signaled using the ERTMS2 standard and AF Track Circuits. Electrification meets new European standards, but Dutch locomotives could not use the line's power because they run on a different voltage. The German extension of the route does not comply with the new ERTMS2 standards, and also uses another voltage, thus limiting usability of the track. Custom-made locomotives were needed. The first new-spec locomotive was delivered to Railion in December 2007.
Tunnels, viaducts and other parts of the railway are engineered to be 4.0 m wide and 6.15 m high in order to allow double stacked container trains under overhead wires,[7] although no such trains will be in use on this route for years to come. The overhead wires were installed at standard height, to accommodate locomotives with standard pantographs. This and viaducts on the connecting lines prevent use of double-stacked containers.[citation needed] In the future, the overhead electrification wires could be raised to allow for double stacking without much effort or cost.[citation needed]
For the section from Rotterdam to the large Kijfhoek classification yard, existing track was reconstructed. New construction occurred from Kijfhoek to Zevenaar near the German border, which is most of the remaining three quarters of the line.
The total length of noise insulation panels on both sides of the track is 160 kilometers (99 mi), the same as the route length.
Roll bars along the track keep derailed cars from toppling.
5 tunnels and several roofed sections add up to a length of 20 kilometers (12 mi).
There are 190 passages to allow wildlife to cross.
There are no level crossings, but instead 130 bridges and viaducts.[8]
Once the German line signaling and other infrastructure are updated, the Betuweroute's capacity will be 10 trains per hour in each direction.
Use
When the line opened, project managers hoped within five years to reach a daily average of 150 freight trains.[9] In the first six months of operation, the unfinished German connection and problems with safety equipment caused traffic to be light.[10] Usage increased steeply over the years 2008–2011. By mid-2011, 78% of all freight trains between Rotterdam and the German border took the Betuweroute. The other freight trains travelled via either Venlo or the border at Bad Bentheim, or used the conventional railway through Arnhem to Emmerich am Rhein[11] Beginning in 2009, the heaviest trains in Germany and the Netherlands, 6,000 tonne trains, transported iron ore between the port of Rotterdam and Dillingen in Germany using the Betuweroute. As of 2019, the Betuweroute carried 4.2 billion ton-kilometers of cargo and 2.3 million train kilometers.[12]
Unlike other Dutch rail network tariffs, the tariff charged to train operators to use the Betuwe rail line is not calculated by train weight but by the distance the train travels. Between 2008 and 2011 the tariff has increased progressively from €1.41 per train kilometer to €2.33 per train kilometer.[13]
Many Dutch people, experts and politicians such as members of parliament opposed construction of the Betuweroute. The Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management received 14,000 complaints against the northern branch alone, which was cancelled in 1999. GroenFront![15] (Green Front), one among dozens of activist groups, was responsible for 35 confrontations in 1999–2001.[16] University professors and official institutions heavily criticised the role of the government and ministers in relation to Betuweroute.
The main concerns about the Betuweroute were:
Cost - Even at the original budget of 2.3 billion euros, there was much discussion about economic viability. Initial hopes of attracting private investors turned out to be totally unfounded. In 2000 the Court of Audit convicted the government of having issued unrealistic forecasts about cost, environmental effects and usage of the Betuweroute, as well as insufficient cost control. They stated that promoting river transport should have been considered as a realistic alternative. In 2004 the Centraal Planbureau (Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis), concluded that construction of the line would never pay for itself.[citation needed]
Landscape - The line passes through the Groene Hart (Green Heart) of the Randstad and the Betuwe. There were concerns the rail line would damage both regions. The Groene Hart is a more or less rural area amid the Netherlands' largest cities. The Betuwe is a less densely populated green region along the major Dutch rivers. Both feature classic Dutch polder landscapes. Opposition to the original plans forced the construction of additional tunnels, which further increased the construction budget.
Environmental issues - Many environmentalists and neighbours fiercely resisted the new line due to concerns about noise, dangerous chemical spills and the fragmentation of animal habitats. In response, extra noise insulation panels, tunnels and wildlife passages were built.
Alternatives - As the Court of Audit concluded in its 2000 report, river transport was and still is a realistic alternative. River transport is cheaper, more flexible,[how?] safer and not much slower.[citation needed] The Dutch barge fleet is the largest and among the most modern in Europe,[17] capable of transporting freight to the German industrial heartland with minimal government investment.[citation needed] Major Dutch rivers including Merwede, Waal and parts of the Rhine, Maas (Meuse), IJssel and Lek run roughly alongside the Betuweroute. Likewise, the A15, an excellent albeit congested highway, parallels the railway for 95 kilometers (59 mi).
Several parts of this Controversy section are based on a Dutch scientific investigation.[18]
^Betuweroute: Start mit Schwierigkeiten. In: Schweizer Eisenbahn-Revue. Nr. 8/9, 2007, ISSN 1022-7113, S. 382.
^Halfjaarbericht Keyrail, August 2010, Jaardienstverdeling Keyrail, May 2011.
^"Vrienden van GroenFront! | EarthFirst! Netherlands Support Group". Groenfront.nl. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
^35 actions by Groen Front against the Betuweroute, 1999-2001 2007-06-29 at the Wayback MachineDutch
^River transportation: Market observation 2006 October 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Dutch barge fleet accounts for more than 50% of total tonnage in Rhine and Meusebasins, (p42). And is the most modern, second only to the German fleet, (p55). (in Dutch)
^Rail transport vs. river transport. Scientific investigation on costs, safety, environment. 2005-12-17 at the Wayback MachineDutch
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rotterdam-Zevenaar railway.
betuweroute, this, article, needs, updated, please, help, update, this, article, reflect, recent, events, newly, available, information, april, 2022, double, track, freight, railway, between, rotterdam, germany, official, name, after, betuwe, area, through, wh. This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information April 2022 The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway between Rotterdam and Germany Betuweroute is the official name after the Betuwe area through which the route passes The line is popularly called Betuwelijn after an older track in the same region citation needed The line extends into Germany as the Oberhausen Arnhem railway and it is part of Project No 5 of the Trans European Transport Network TEN T 1 BetuwerouteRoute red of the BetuwerouteOverviewOwnerNS RailinfratrustLocaleSouth Holland and Gelderland NetherlandsServiceOperator s ProRail KeyRailHistoryOpened16 June 2007TechnicalLine length159 km 99 mi Track gauge1 435 mm 4 ft 8 1 2 in standard gaugeElectrification25 kV 50 HzRoute mapLegendline from Maasvlakteline from Rotterdam CentraalKijfhoekline to Bredaline to BredaSophia railway tunnelA16 E19RietbaanNoord riverA15 E31Railway tunnel GiessenA27 E311line from Dordrecht to ElstMerwede canalLinge riverA2 E25line from Boxtel to Utrecht CentraalLinge riverLinge riverhavenspoorlijn TielAmsterdam Rhine canalLinge riverLinge riverA50Valburg yardline from Nijmegen to ArnhemA325Linge riverSpoortunnel Pannerdensch KanaalSpoortunnel Zevenaarline from Zevenaardemolishedline from Amsterdam CentraalBabberichState border Germany NetherlandsDB 2266 to KleefdemolishedDB 2270 to Oberhausen Hbf Contents 1 History 2 Route 3 Infrastructure 4 Specifications and features 5 Use 6 Controversy 7 Municipalities along Betuweroute 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory Edit Map of the Betuweroute In 1985 the Van Bonde Commission began to investigate the future of west east transport The main advocate of the proposed line was the then minister Neelie Kroes later Commissioner in the European Union until 2014 In 1992 the German and Dutch governments signed the Treaty of Warnemunde which addressed enhancing rail traffic and focused on the tracks from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to Duisburg The original plan was for three branch rail lines towards Germany The northern branch via Oldenzaal was abandoned in 1999 and the southern branch via Venlo was abandoned in 2004 Also in 2004 the courts which forbade the construction of a large logistics centre near Valburg Construction of the Betuweroute in Meteren in 2004 A Railion class 189 hauled train using the Betuweroute near Deil In 1988 the Dutch state owned passenger railway company NS began work on the line Delayed by two years the railway was finished mid 2007 The final cost was 4 7 billion euros more than twice the original budget of 2 3 billion euros and more than quadruple the initial estimate from 1990 of 1 1 billion euros The large and rising costs and criticism about government funding promoted the government to seek private financing for the line without success On 16 June 2007 Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands presided over the opening ceremony for the 160 kilometers 99 mi line that connects Rotterdam to the German border 2 Despite the TEN T and bilateral agreements Germany did not expect to complete reconstruction of their lines that connect with Betuweroute before 2015 3 Route EditThe route is a direct line from the Maasvlakte to Zevenaar connecting the Port of Rotterdam to Germany Compared with the previous rail route between Barendrecht and Elst the main deviations are Line now north of Zwijndrecht and Papendrecht Line now north of Gorinchem and south of Leerdam Line now north of Tiel From the south side of Elst the line runs straight to ZevenaarInfrastructure Edit A tunnel for the Betuweroute near highway A15 A bridge near Tiel Trajectory of the Betuweroute The most striking infrastructure that was built or reconstructed as part of the Betuweroute includes Container terminals in Rotterdam Rail Service Centre Maasvlakte Rail Service Centre Waalhaven and Maasvlakte 2 4 The 3 kilometers 1 9 mi long Botlekspoortunnel under Rotterdam harbour replaces the antiquated Botlek bridge The bridge remains in service as backup and for regional traffic Space around the tunnel was so constrained that after completing the first tube the tunnel boring machine had to be dismantled inside the tube The parts were then returned to the starting point and reassembled to bore the second tube The classification yard Kijfhoek between Barendrecht and Zwijndrecht was reconstructed 5 Barendrecht railway station has 9 tracks in a 1 5 kilometers 0 93 mi long structure Much of the structure is covered with a layer of earth to reduce noise On top is a new city park At the station itself 4 of the tracks and their platforms have a glass roof Nearby tracks cross on two levels Tunnel were built under Pannerdensch Kanaal near Angeren Instead of the projected bridge a 2 7 kilometers 1 7 mi tunnel was bored to protect the landscape and environment The tunnel entrances were designed to blend in with the landscape The tunnel itself has large lockable doors at each end to prevent a flood on one side of the canal inundating the region on the opposite bank Because two endangered animal species were found in the vicinity of the tunnel a new habitat was laid out for the Great crested newt and the Natterjack Toad as this video shows 6 Specifications and features EditThe route is electrified at 25 kV AC and signaled using the ERTMS2 standard and AF Track Circuits Electrification meets new European standards but Dutch locomotives could not use the line s power because they run on a different voltage The German extension of the route does not comply with the new ERTMS2 standards and also uses another voltage thus limiting usability of the track Custom made locomotives were needed The first new spec locomotive was delivered to Railion in December 2007 Tunnels viaducts and other parts of the railway are engineered to be 4 0 m wide and 6 15 m high in order to allow double stacked container trains under overhead wires 7 although no such trains will be in use on this route for years to come The overhead wires were installed at standard height to accommodate locomotives with standard pantographs This and viaducts on the connecting lines prevent use of double stacked containers citation needed In the future the overhead electrification wires could be raised to allow for double stacking without much effort or cost citation needed For the section from Rotterdam to the large Kijfhoek classification yard existing track was reconstructed New construction occurred from Kijfhoek to Zevenaar near the German border which is most of the remaining three quarters of the line The total length of noise insulation panels on both sides of the track is 160 kilometers 99 mi the same as the route length Roll bars along the track keep derailed cars from toppling 5 tunnels and several roofed sections add up to a length of 20 kilometers 12 mi There are 190 passages to allow wildlife to cross There are no level crossings but instead 130 bridges and viaducts 8 Once the German line signaling and other infrastructure are updated the Betuweroute s capacity will be 10 trains per hour in each direction Use EditWhen the line opened project managers hoped within five years to reach a daily average of 150 freight trains 9 In the first six months of operation the unfinished German connection and problems with safety equipment caused traffic to be light 10 Usage increased steeply over the years 2008 2011 By mid 2011 78 of all freight trains between Rotterdam and the German border took the Betuweroute The other freight trains travelled via either Venlo or the border at Bad Bentheim or used the conventional railway through Arnhem to Emmerich am Rhein 11 Beginning in 2009 the heaviest trains in Germany and the Netherlands 6 000 tonne trains transported iron ore between the port of Rotterdam and Dillingen in Germany using the Betuweroute As of 2019 the Betuweroute carried 4 2 billion ton kilometers of cargo and 2 3 million train kilometers 12 Unlike other Dutch rail network tariffs the tariff charged to train operators to use the Betuwe rail line is not calculated by train weight but by the distance the train travels Between 2008 and 2011 the tariff has increased progressively from 1 41 per train kilometer to 2 33 per train kilometer 13 Quarterly number of trains over the Betuweroute Q No of trains2008 I 1 0002008 II 1 2002008 III 1 2502008 IV 1 9002009 I 2 3502009 II 2 2002009 III 2 3002009 IV 3 0002010 I 3 9002010 II 4 3002010 III 4 4002010 IV 5 0002011 I 5 8502011 II 6 300 14 Controversy EditMany Dutch people experts and politicians such as members of parliament opposed construction of the Betuweroute The Dutch Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management received 14 000 complaints against the northern branch alone which was cancelled in 1999 GroenFront 15 Green Front one among dozens of activist groups was responsible for 35 confrontations in 1999 2001 16 University professors and official institutions heavily criticised the role of the government and ministers in relation to Betuweroute The main concerns about the Betuweroute were Cost Even at the original budget of 2 3 billion euros there was much discussion about economic viability Initial hopes of attracting private investors turned out to be totally unfounded In 2000 the Court of Audit convicted the government of having issued unrealistic forecasts about cost environmental effects and usage of the Betuweroute as well as insufficient cost control They stated that promoting river transport should have been considered as a realistic alternative In 2004 the Centraal Planbureau Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis concluded that construction of the line would never pay for itself citation needed Landscape The line passes through the Groene Hart Green Heart of the Randstad and the Betuwe There were concerns the rail line would damage both regions The Groene Hart is a more or less rural area amid the Netherlands largest cities The Betuwe is a less densely populated green region along the major Dutch rivers Both feature classic Dutch polder landscapes Opposition to the original plans forced the construction of additional tunnels which further increased the construction budget Environmental issues Many environmentalists and neighbours fiercely resisted the new line due to concerns about noise dangerous chemical spills and the fragmentation of animal habitats In response extra noise insulation panels tunnels and wildlife passages were built Alternatives As the Court of Audit concluded in its 2000 report river transport was and still is a realistic alternative River transport is cheaper more flexible how safer and not much slower citation needed The Dutch barge fleet is the largest and among the most modern in Europe 17 capable of transporting freight to the German industrial heartland with minimal government investment citation needed Major Dutch rivers including Merwede Waal and parts of the Rhine Maas Meuse IJssel and Lek run roughly alongside the Betuweroute Likewise the A15 an excellent albeit congested highway parallels the railway for 95 kilometers 59 mi Several parts of this Controversy section are based on a Dutch scientific investigation 18 Municipalities along Betuweroute EditAlblasserdam Barendrecht Buren Duiven Geldermalsen Giessenlanden Gorinchem Hardinxveld Giessendam Hendrik Ido Ambacht Lingewaal Lingewaard Molenwaard Neder Betuwe Neerijnen Nijmegen Overbetuwe Papendrecht Rijnwaarden Rotterdam Sliedrecht Tiel Zevenaar ZwijndrechtSee also EditElst Dordrecht railwayReferences EditSeveral parts of this article are based on Decision process and construction of Betuweroute 1985 2007 in German Archived from the original on 2008 05 17 Betuweroute and the TEN network PDF Retrieved 2011 11 13 First freight train on the Betuweroute Dutchnews nl 2007 06 18 Retrieved 2011 11 13 Germany ignores Betuwelijn Dutchnews nl 2007 09 05 Retrieved 2011 11 13 Expansion of Rail Infrastructure and Transfer Capacity Archived from the original on 2011 07 15 Retrieved 2010 10 31 Website Rail cargo information Document showing layout Kijfhoek PDF in Dutch Retrieved 2009 06 05 permanent dead link Short video about new habitat for the Great crested newt Dutch spoken Betuweroute nl Retrieved 2011 11 13 Betuweroute Double Track Freight Line Railway Technology Features of Betuweroute Archived December 15 2007 at the Wayback Machine Dutch FAQ Keyrail Keyrail nl Archived from the original on 2009 04 12 Retrieved 2011 11 13 Marginal use of Betuweroute Dutchnews nl 2007 08 01 Retrieved 2011 11 13 Halfjaarbericht Keyrail August 2011 https www prorail nl siteassets homepage over ons documenten pr jaarrapport ontwikkeling spoorgoederenverkeer in nederland 2019 def pdf bare URL PDF Betuweroute Start mit Schwierigkeiten In Schweizer Eisenbahn Revue Nr 8 9 2007 ISSN 1022 7113 S 382 Halfjaarbericht Keyrail August 2010 Jaardienstverdeling Keyrail May 2011 Vrienden van GroenFront EarthFirst Netherlands Support Group Groenfront nl Retrieved 2011 11 13 35 actions by Groen Front against the Betuweroute 1999 2001 Archived 2007 06 29 at the Wayback Machine Dutch River transportation Market observation 2006 Archived October 22 2007 at the Wayback Machine Dutch barge fleet accounts for more than 50 of total tonnage in Rhine and Meuse basins p42 And is the most modern second only to the German fleet p55 in Dutch Rail transport vs river transport Scientific investigation on costs safety environment Archived 2005 12 17 at the Wayback Machine DutchExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rotterdam Zevenaar railway Headlines permanent dead link Dutch Tunnel under Pannerdensch Kanaal Dutch Decision process and construction of Betuweroute 1985 2007 German Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Betuweroute amp oldid 1132320890, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
