New approach route to Antwerp

Having just completed a film on one new piece of Belgian railway infrastructure (The Liefkenshoek rail link AKA a Passage to Europe) it seems that we can look forward to another!

INFRABEL (the Belgian equivalent of the UK Network Rail) has begun consultation on a new approach to the port of Antwerp from Germany. You may be thinking that this would be the so called ‘Iron Rhine’ – well you would be correct - up to a point - but the ‘new approach’ project goes MUCH further!

The project now out for public discussion covers the route between Noord yard and Lier. (Once a new line alongside the canal was being considered) The new proposal(s) are for a new line inland from Antwerp so avoiding the eastern suburbs of the city and the very congested Berchem station. Two routes are under consideration: a relatively simple eastern option and a very ambitious western option that would involve huge amounts of tunneling. The latter would be a combined tunnel with the L3 highway on three levels!

Both routes would link into the classic route to Germany via Hasselt or Line 15 to Herentals and from there to the Iron Rhine. We live in interesting times!