Rotterdam launches rail pilot to ease congestion at Europe’s largest port

Follow us on Google

A pilot project on the Port of Rotterdam’s dedicated port railway is bringing together rival freight operators in a bid to cut congestion, recover faster from disruptions and move more cargo by rail between Europe’s largest seaport and the hinterland.

Mutual-aid scheme targets bottlenecks on the port railway

The pilot, branded “Track Together,” centers on the busy Havenspoorlijn, the port railway that links deepsea terminals on the Maasvlakte with the European rail network. Publicly available information indicates that six freight operators have agreed to share locomotives and train paths when services are disrupted, creating a mutual-aid pool designed to keep freight flowing even when individual companies face shortages or delays.

The scheme allows participating operators to take over each other’s shunting and last-mile movements at pre-agreed conditions during incidents, infrastructure works or peak pressure on yard capacity. Reports indicate that this arrangement is intended to prevent trains from standing idle and blocking scarce tracks while another company has locomotives and crews available nearby.

The pilot is scheduled to run for several months from April 2026, giving partners and infrastructure managers a full operational cycle to measure its impact across different market conditions. During this period, the parties involved will monitor effects on punctuality, average dwell times in yards and the number of trains that can be handled per day on the port railway.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has long emphasized the importance of shifting more hinterland traffic from road to rail and inland waterways. By improving the reliability and flexibility of rail operations close to the terminals, the Track Together initiative is presented as one of several measures aimed at strengthening rail’s competitive position in the port’s modal mix.

Rail capacity under pressure from growing container flows

While the port’s dedicated freight line to Germany provides substantial long-distance capacity, the most acute operational pressures are often found inside the port area itself, where trains must compete for limited siding space and complex shunting movements. Published information from the Port of Rotterdam Authority notes that rising container volumes at Maasvlakte terminals are driving demand for additional tracks and more efficient traffic management on the rail side.

Recent updates on the Maasvlakte rail development show work advancing on a new railway yard intended to accommodate more and longer freight trains. According to project information, this yard is being designed specifically to support the growing intermodal flows between the deepsea terminals and destinations in Germany, Central Europe and beyond, with a focus on efficient train assembly and turnaround.

At the same time, temporary reductions in rail capacity at individual terminals, linked to expansion and modernization works, place extra pressure on existing infrastructure. Shipping and logistics updates point to periods in 2026 when rail slots at certain facilities will be constrained while new cranes, tracks and handling equipment are installed.

In this context, improving the way existing tracks and yards are used becomes as important as building new infrastructure. The mutual-aid pilot is intended to make better use of locomotives and crews already present in the port, reducing the risk that a local disruption at one terminal cascades into network-wide delays.

Digital tools and shared planning to improve traffic flow

A key feature of the pilot project is its reliance on shared digital tools to coordinate train movements. Port communications describe the use of a common application that allows operators to signal capacity problems in real time and arrange handovers of shunting tasks or traction services. This digital layer is intended to provide transparency about which assets are available where, who can step in, and under what conditions.

The initiative aligns with a broader push in Rotterdam to introduce integrated planning platforms across different transport modes. Inland shipping in the port already makes use of shared planning tools that allocate terminal slots on a system-wide basis, and similar concepts are being explored for truck arrivals at major terminals. The rail pilot extends this approach to the port railway, with the aim of transforming fragmented, company-specific planning into a more coordinated operation.

According to publicly available strategic documents, the port is also working with ProRail and technology suppliers to upgrade train control and traffic management systems on new yards to European standards. Projects around the Maasvlakte Zuid railway yard include adaptations to support the European Rail Traffic Management System, which is expected over time to enable shorter headways and more reliable traffic handling on key sections.

Combining advanced signalling, shared digital platforms and operational collaboration is seen as a way to remove hidden buffers in the system. Instead of every operator building in extra time and capacity as protection against uncertainty, the port is experimenting with shared solutions that reduce overall slack while maintaining safety and reliability.

Environmental goals drive push for more efficient rail freight

The pilot on the port railway also fits into Rotterdam’s wider climate transition strategy, which highlights rail as a comparatively low-emission mode for hinterland transport. Policy papers from the port indicate a target to increase the share of containers and bulk moved by rail, supported by new infrastructure, improved timetables and operational innovations such as the mutual-aid scheme.

Public documentation outlines additional measures under consideration, including support for electric and hybrid shunting locomotives within the port and the electrification of remaining non-electrified tracks. By improving the business case for rail and the reliability of port-side operations, these initiatives aim to make rail a more attractive option for shippers who might otherwise rely on trucks.

For the Port of Rotterdam Authority, more efficient use of the existing rail network is also a way to limit the need for further road expansion in surrounding areas. With growing policy attention on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, steering additional cargo to rail and inland waterways is presented as essential for maintaining the port’s role as a major logistics hub while meeting national and European climate objectives.

If the current pilot demonstrates that closer collaboration between rail companies can measurably cut delays, improve punctuality and raise capacity on the port railway, observers expect the concept could be extended or formalized. For now, Track Together offers a test case of how shared operations on a highly competitive corridor might help Europe’s largest port move more freight with less congestion on both rail and road.