Rail freight operator Lineas and logistics company Tabaknatie will set up collection points for containers outside of Antwerp to spread the number of trucks during the Oosterweel works.

Rail freight operator Lineas and logistics company Tabaknatie will set up collection points for containers outside of Antwerp to spread the number of trucks during the Oosterweel works. The initiative comes after Lantis and the Port of Antwerp called on transport companies to propose solutions that would reduce rush-hour traffic.

Both companies proposed a hub outside the city or port where carriers can drop off or pick up their cargo. The remainder of the route will shift to night-time off-peak hours. As a result, some 20,000 containers could be taken off the road every year.

As the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, Lineas proposes extensive use of rail. Specifically, the company wants to realise a rail/truck hub along the E17 in the direction of the port. The containers will be collected outside Antwerp and transported to the port. Through a direct rail connection to the deep-sea terminals, this can be done during daytime and at night.

"With the Oosterweel works, our mission of Modal Shift from road to rail has never been more relevant,” says Lars Redeligx, CCO of Lineas. “With this rail/truck hub, we want to offer the market yet another solution that will immediately keep trucks out of rush hour and transport as much of their loads as possible by rail. This benefits both mobility and climate: trains emit nine times less CO2 and eight times less particulate matter.”

Lineas is still researching the location of the rail/truck hub. Currently, the two main options are the Ghent port area and the surroundings of Kortrijk. The shuttle should be operational in 2022.

(Source: Lineas)