NEUTRAL HUMP YARD OPENS A European first : Assembling freight trains faster,

by lineas

THE neutral operation of the automatic hump yard at the Antwerp-North marshalling yard in the port is an important factor in achieving green goals. Thanks to this rail infrastructure in Belgium's largest and busiest freight station, trains can be assembled more efficiently. In order to create a level playing field for everyone, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Railport Antwerp, Lineas and Infrabel are working together to make this facility available to all rail operators.

Thanks to the automatic shunting facility at the Antwerp-North marshalling yard in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges (PoAB), freight trains can be assembled up to six times faster. The importance of this logistics node, where "puzzling out" freight trains is part of daily business, should therefore not be underestimated. Nevertheless, this facility has been underutilised for some time.

For many railway undertakings, the investments are too high because they need shunting locomotives and skilled personnel. A joint plan by Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Railport Antwerp, the freight carrier Lineas and the infrastructure manager Infrabel is now set to change that. The centerpiece of this plan: neutral operation of the automatic shunting facility. It’s the first time in the history of Belgian railroads that something like this has happened. More than that, it’s even a European first!

Level playing field for all

Neutral operation of the rail facility began on April 1 2023. This means that it is available to all rail operators on equal terms. Lineas is committed to providing shunting services to all at market-based, transparent prices and conditions. This activity will be followed up by Infrabel in collaboration with PoAB. Furthermore, the pricing for shunting services is controlled by the rail regulator. Neutral management does not only lower the