On 5 April, an investment programme was launched for the new rail link between Belgium 
and France 
! And to top it off: the Athus Container Terminal will be transformed into an “international hub”, an economic leap forward for the region, reducing harmful emissions and limiting road congestion.
“GOOD JOB” you might say!
DOUBLING FREIGHT VOLUMES BY RAIL
At the moment, 75% of goods are transported by road, even though rail transport generates an average of 9 times less CO2. The rail link between Athus (Belgium) and Mont-Saint-Martin (France) continued to be one of the missing links in terms of allowing European and Belgian rail companies to double the volume of freight transported by rail by 2030.
By improving the appeal of multimodal transport, this new link between the Athus Container Terminal – Belgium’s first dry port – and France contributes to European targets for reducing harmful emissions and helps reducing road congestion.
A NEW LINK, A TOOL TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
In 2018, thanks to the multimodal combination of rail and road, some 46,500 shipping containers passed through the facilities of the Athus Container Terminal (“TCA”), Belgium’s first “dry port”, on their way to the North Sea or the Sarre/Lorraine/Luxembourg region.
Until now, operators keen to make use of the TCA’s services have not had direct access to France. This restriction made manoeuvres more complicated, damaging the appeal of its multimodal capabilities.
Aware of the economic and environmental issues at stake, Infrabel and IDELUX (the site manager) have spent many years working on the project to create a new link between Athus (B) and Mont-Saint-Martin (F). This project is now coming to fruition thanks to the financial and operational contribution of a number of partners: Europe, the Federal Government, Wallonia, Infrabel, IDELUX and SNCF Réseau.
Officially launched on Friday, the building work will involve moving a level crossing, changing a bend and some existing tracks (on the Terminal’s site and in the immediate surroundings), laying a new track covering 875m, building a launched bridge under the N830 and lastly, equipping the new track and linking it to the rail network at the Franco-Belgian border.
This project will elevate the Athus Container Terminal’s status from that of a “terminal” to an “international hub”, thus offering some remarkable prospects for economic development for this 16-hectare site (which employs 49 people), and for the whole of southern Luxembourg. The capacity of the international freight corridor to which the “TCA” is connected will be significantly increased, and the “modal shift” approach that everyone is aiming for will be brought to the forefront.
INCREASED CAPACITY BETWEEN THE NORTH SEA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
Athus is on the outskirts of one of 3 European freight corridors that pass through Belgium, the “RFC NSM (Rail Freight Corridor North Sea-Mediterranean)”, which connects the Port of Antwerp to the Mediterranean. Last year, more than 11,500 goods trains took this route, commonly referred to as “Athus-Meuse”. This means that around 13 million tonnes (gross tonnage) were transported by rail, removing the equivalent of approximately 400,000 articulated lorries from our roads! It is assumed that rail transport consumes 6 times less energy than road transport, whilst emitting 9 times less CO2.
The creation of this new link will further extend this corridor’s transport capacity byintroducing a double track for access to France. It also makes access to France possible for the “Brussels-Namur-Arlon” line, which is RFC NSM’s secondary route.
A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF €20.2 MILLION
The “Athus-Mont-Saint-Martin” link is one of the projects covered by the Infrabel’s multi-year strategic investment plan (PSPI). In this respect, it is funded thanks to a federal contribution from the Federal Minister for Mobility of €9.2 million. The Walloon Region is co-funding this work, contributing €5.1 million. European grants (CEF and ERDF for totals capped at around €2.8 million each) as well as a contribution from IDELUX (€300,000) and from SNCF Réseau complete the total budget of €20.2 million.
CONSOLIDATED LOGISTICS SERVICES
Work on this project is due to start this month. It will be managed jointly by IDELUX and Infrabel. Subsequently, Infrabel will carry out the work involved on the electrics and signals for the tracks. The first trains are due to travel on this new connection in August 2020.
Belgium Luxembourg’s appeal in terms of logistics and its strategic position among major European corridors will be enhanced.
All the more opportunities for businesses in this sector who are keen to invest and boost their growth.
In this respect, our Ardenne Logistics business park, with close links to the TCA, may have a lot to offer!
