DB CARGO: A SPECIAL TRAIN GOES TO KIJFHOEK

It is called the hub of Europe: the Kijfhoek marshalling yard near Rotterdam. As the largest marshalling yard in the Netherlands, it serves as an important link for all rail freight traffic between the port of Rotterdam and the industrial regions of Europe. In order to be able to withstand the growing volume of goods in the future, Siemens Mobility received the order two years ago to modernize the 50-hectare site with 14 entrance, 41 sorting and 12 sidings. A mammoth project, not only in terms of the size of the total volume.

A large-scale project
Transporting the new individual parts already represents a logistical challenge: the 15-meter-long and almost 4-meter-wide track brakes have to be transported in one piece. Together with Siemens Mobility, the experts from DB Cargo regional sales and DB Cargo Nederland have taken on this special task and have been developing a concept for the special transport of track brakes since January of this year.

Good planning is the be-all and end-all
The team had to take some special features into account. Since the freight was one meter extra wide, the sidings had to be closed for this special train. “In addition, there is currently limited access to the Betuwe route,” says Sebastian Hepner, Sales Manager Regional Sales Duisburg at DB Cargo. “This route is currently being expanded to three tracks and is completely closed on the Duisburg – Emmerich section over the weekends. You have to plan very carefully.” In addition, the locomotive has to be changed three times in total: from the shunting locomotive to the German DB Cargo long-distance locomotive and again to the Dutch one at the border. Sidings must be provided for this. There are also precisely specified periods for crossing the border. “The crucial thing in our planning and implementation is that the track brakes arrive just in time for installation, because such large parts cannot easily be unloaded and stored,” says Sebastian Hepner. But not least thanks to the expertise in transporting track brakes, DB Cargo was able to carry out the first special transport with 6 flat wagons just-in-time via Bad Bentheim – Oldenzaal in August.

Reach your goal together with DB Cargo
It is planned that there will be one transport per month until late summer 2024, with an average of 6 to 7 cars. In total, 51 track brakes and 4 hydraulic houses that are needed to operate these brakes are transported in one year.