20. May 2026, 09:51 o'Clock
Netherlands
Article: DB Cargo Nederland joins cooperation pilot in the port of Rotterdam
New agreement on the port railway line aims to avoid cancellations in the event of capacity bottlenecks and make processes more efficient
In the port of Rotterdam, six rail companies are taking a new step in operational cooperation: Rail Force One, HSL Netherlands, DB Cargo Nederland, RTB Cargo, LTE and Rail Cargo Group have signed an agreement under the leadership of the Port of Rotterdam Authority to improve processes on the port railway line.
Under this so-called shunting agreement, the companies involved can take over each other's journeys at fixed conditions in the event of capacity bottlenecks. The aim of the cooperation is to avoid cancellations of a train and longer delays as far as possible and to be able to react more quickly in the event of deviations from the regular timetable.
More flexibility in the event of disruptions and bottlenecks
The cooperation also creates an immediately available emergency plan for disruptions of operations. Trains can be taken over at short notice and runs can be stabilised. Terminals also benefit: Tracks can be cleared in good time in the event of a disruption so that scheduled services can run as planned wherever possible.
The project runs under the name "Track Together" and was initially launched as a seven-month pilot project on 1 April 2026. Operations are handled via the specially developed "PortFlow" app, which is used to book journeys. During the pilot phase, the app developer, port authority and rail company plan to evaluate the cooperation on a monthly basis.
This project is the first structured form of operational cooperation of this kind between several railway companies in the port of Rotterdam, with the aim of making processes on the port railway line safer, more efficient and more reliable.
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