Projects overview

For every violation identified by the competent authority, it shall impose a so-called ‘Last Onder Dwangsom’ (LOD) on ProRail after a warning. Such an LOD can be seen as an instrument of the competent authority to correct undesirable behavior. An LOD specifies the permit requirements that ProRail must comply with. We take effective measures to comply (again) with the specified requirements. Once we have taken the necessary measures, we are allowed to submit a request for revocation of the LOD after one year. However, in practice, it sometimes takes longer, around one and a half to two years, before the LOD is lifted. If the competent authority identifies a new violation during that period, resulting in a fine, the minimum one-year period starts again.

A rail yard is used for the positioning and shunting of trains. In the Rotterdam harbour area, the following yards are present: Waalhaven-Zuid, Pernis, Botlek, Europoort, and Maasvlakte. All these yards must comply with permit requirements established by the Safety Regions to ensure environmental safety. The competent authorities identified frequent violations, such as parked vehicles blocking emergency access roads and firefighting facilities, as well as open gates. These issues were partly due to a lack of knowledge regarding the rules of conduct among visitors and insufficient enforcement by ProRail. 

So it’s time to take control and create a safe working environment for everyone at the railway yards. The most logical solution is of course to place a large fence around all yards. However, that takes a very long time, does not solve all problems and is also quite expensive. We will therefore first start with the ‘quick wins’. In the ‘Stewardship’ project, ProRail tackles about 80 percent of the problem with 20 percent of the resources and time . This approach consists of three steps:

• Making behavioural rules accessible to everyone.
• Implementing a check-in system.
• Establishing an enforcement policy.

Based on the findings of the winter evaluation conducted in October 2021, it was discovered that a some of the point heating control panels were not functioning correctly. These control panels contain the technical control systems for point heating. The replacement of the first 44 control panels (including associated cables) began in 2022 and will be completed in the coming period.

In the Netherlands, approximately 5,000 out of around 7,000 railway points are equipped with point heating. In October 2021, ProRail inspected all point heating systems throughout the country.

The project faces several challenges. Due to time constraints, construction had to start even though the designs and contracts were not fully completed yet. We also face scarcity of construction materials and price increases, among other things. It is great to see that we are truly doing this together, with an understanding of each other’s interests.

– Sanne van den Haak, Project Manager

In 2020, the work for the superstructure was inventoried, and the planning was made. From 2021, the work began on-site. Work Package 1 (2021) mainly focused on urgent issues that needed immediate attention: the renewal of over 50 level crossings, the replacement of 29 points, and 10 kilometres of track. The main emphasis was on the Waalhaven Zuid rail yard. For Work Package 2 (2022), we will address a total of 28 points and three level crossings, among other things. In January 2022, the contract for the third work package (to be executed in 2023) was also put to the market. In 2021, 93 percent of the planned work was completed. The remaining 7 percent of this work package will be carried out in 2022.

An up-to-date overview of the work can be found on the ProRail website.

Mainly from the inner harbour, sand blows onto the land and rail tracks. During low tide, the sand remains uncovered, and the wind has free rein over the open Maasvlakte. The approach is twofold: on the one hand, ensuring that less sand reaches the tracks, and on the other hand, clearing the tracks of sand.

Lines of defence: natural dunes, shipping containers, and ‘big bags’

In 2020, we established two ‘defence lines’. Over a distance of seven hundred meters, 750 enormous ‘big bags’ filled with sand were placed between the container line and the track. We also found that other measures, such as applying clay and seeding the surrounding area, resulted in hardly any problems from sand in the area. Therefore, at the end of 2021, we removed the containers and placed the big bags closer to the track.

ProRail is working hard on improvements at Kijfhoek. This rail marshalling yard covers an area of 50 hectares and has 43 sorting tracks, 14 arrival tracks, and 12 storage tracks. We are addressing three important aspects:

• Modernization of the hump yard system.
• Modification and expansion of emergency roads and firefighting facilities.
• Regular replacement of tracks and sleepers.

By the end of 2026, when everything is completed, Kijfhoek will be well-prepared for the next fifteen years in terms of major maintenance.

Parts of the Jade detection system are nearing the end of their service life. Moreover, on the outer edge of the Rotterdam harbour area, sand and salt cause a lot of disruption. We are therefore testing a new detection system with axle counters in a pilot study. The pilot will last a year, so that all seasons and weather conditions will come into play. We deliberately set up the pilot on the outer edge of the Maasvlakte to pick up a lot of valuable information. It is the first large-scale project with GAST-NL axle counters within the freight process in the Netherlands. This new detection system should be more robust and reduce disruptions.