On 16 July, the EU announced that it was backing the construction of the Theemsweg route to the tune of almost €9 million in additional funding.
The money comes from a European programme aiming to establish a single cross-border network for land, water and air transport within the EU.
Actually, this approval comes in addition to 62 million euros in previous subsidies available by the EU for the construction work.
In the Rotterdam port area, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and ProRail are rerouting the Port railway line over a length of approximately 4 km to form what will be known as the ‘Theemsweg Route’.
The new route forms part of the Betuwe Route, which connects the western port area with the hinterland.
The project is expected to provide a solution to the problems associated with the Calandbrug near Rozenburg. In 2020, the Calandbrug is reaching the end of its technical lifespan. At the same time, a capacity bottleneck for rail traffic is anticipated, due to the expected growth in rail transport, as well as ocean shipping traffic to and from the Brittanniëhaven.
The new section of line will cost a total of around 300 million euros and will be completed in about 2021.
