Work continues
Contractors Swietelsky (Botlek and Europoort), BAM (Waalhaven-Zuid) and Dura Vermeer (Maasvlakte West/West-West and Pernis) carried out this work. On behalf of ProRail, Dura Vermeer will continue working on the fire extinguishing facilities at Pernis yard in the coming weeks; during this period, no freight trains carrying hazardous substances will be shunting here. This affects about seventy freight trains a week. We will try to reroute these as best we can.
ProRail’s fire extinguishing train
Temporary facilities
At the Maasvlakte West/West-West and Waalhaven-Zuid rail yards, some temporary facilities have been installed in addition to the permanent extinguishing facilities. At Waalhaven-Zuid, for instance, the fire extinguishing train remains operational. This also guarantees the supply of extinguishing water to a track along the east side.
On MaasvlakteZuid, ProRail is temporarily using the fire hydrants on the ECT site. With these temporary facilities, safety is guaranteed. These facilities do not affect logistical functions. Nor do they impede the moving and shunting of wagons carrying hazardous substances. On 1 January 2023, the Waalhaven-Zuid yard will be fully reopened. The handling of hazardous substances on six of the 50 tracks there has been restricted since April 2021.
Last definitive extinguishing facilities
After 1 January 2023, the temporary facilities at Maasvlakte West/West-West and Waalhaven-Zuid will be replaced by the construction of the last definitive fire-fighting facilities. These should be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023. Besides the extinguishing facilities, the coming months will also see the completion of other work. This includes the installation of fences, light masts, gates and the final emergency access roads.
