Antwerp hinterland policy

The other two shareholders in the consortium are Ewals Intermodal and Meulenberg. The capital cost of the new, open access terminal is estimated at € 15.5m, with the project to be financed by a bank loan and a subsidy from the Dutch province of Limburg. Construction work is due to start in mid 2012, and the new terminal is expected to enter operation in April 2013.

The decision to participate in the terminal is the result of an extensive study that began in 2009. Among other things this looked at how participation in the rail terminal in the south of the Netherlands would fit in with the Port Authority’s hinterland policy. As part of this policy the Port Authority seeks to expand the links with the port’s natural hinterland and draw cargo from a wider area, so that freight flows become established in Antwerp.