20 BULKDISTRIBUTOR
Logistics
Rotterdam’s rail redirection
S
ome 4km of the dedicated freight
rail line the Betuwe Route is to be
redirected by Port of Rotterdam
Authority.
As a result, the railway line will no longer
run over the Caland Bridge, a vertical lift
bridge that has to be raised to allow ocean
vessels to access the Britanniehaven.
Having to stop freight trains when the
bridge needs to be raised is seen by the
port as increasingly problematic given the
expected increase rail traffic over the
coming years.
Set for completion by 2020, the new
route will also bring an end to noise
pollution caused by the rail track near the
village of Rozenburg. Construction of the
new route will cost around €275 million.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment is contributing over €100
million, the European Union €62 million
and the Port Authority the remainder. The
Port Authority will construct the new route
and then hand the line over to Betuwe
operator ProRail.
By redirecting the line over the
Rozenburgse Sluis and via Theemsweg, the
increasing rail traffic to and from
Europoort and the Maasvlakte will no
longer be obstructed by shipping, the port
maintains, which will considerably improve
the flow of traffic.
Port of Rotterdam COO Ronald Paul said
the investment in the Theemsweg Route
was necessary to improve the port’s
connections to the hinterland which were
essential for the port’s competitive
position. “That’s why we want to see a
solution to the capacity problem,” he
March/April 2016
GCA takes big
stake in Simon
Gibson
F
The redirection will means trains no longer run over the Caland Bridge, seen here in the background
stated. “But because the Government
doesn’t have sufficient funds to do this in
the coming years, we suggested to the
Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment that we, as port authority,
would pay a large proportion of the costs
for the Theemsweg Route and execute the
project ourselves. On completion, we will
hand the new stretch of track over to
ProRail.
“The ministry responded positively to our
proposal. We will produce the final design
for the railway line in collaboration with
ProRail. The new route will be
approximately 4km long and run over a
raised railway viaduct. The track will have
two arched bridges and link up again with
the existing track where it meets the A15,”
he added
The port authority says it is unusual in
Europe for a port authority to invest as
heavily in public infrastructure as is
currently the case in Rotterdam. In
Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven,
Antwerp and Zeebrugge, the authorities
not only pay for the public infrastructure
such as railways, but also contribute
towards investments in the development
of ports, or the government settles the
losses suffered by the port authorities, the
port stated.
rench logistics provider Groupe Charles Andre (GCA) has
acquired a 75 percent stake in UK bulk powder haulage firm
Simon Gibson Transport.
Based in Goole, Humberside Simon Gibson has operations across the
UK and much of Europe.
It was founded 16 years ago by Simon Gibson with a single truck and
has since grown to a fleet of 94 vehicles and a headcount of 138 staff,
delivering more than 2 million tons a year throughout Europe.
GCA is also a family business that has grown into a Europe-wide
logistics provider. It is the parent group of tank container operator
GCAtainer. Based in Montelimar, France, it was founded in 1932 and
now operates in 15 countries.
Following the recession, Gibson diversified its business, widening its
customer base from the construction industry to target a number of
other sectors. Consequently the firm has seen significant growth over
the past eight years. Now, by joining forces with a major European
operator, Gibson believes it be able to build on this success.