Electric trains running from the seacoast to Zevenaar on the Betuwe Route
This is a joint press release of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, ProRail, Keyrail, Havenbedrijf Rotterdam, IVW, KNV and locomotive leasing companies
Nieuwsbericht | 14-12-2009
Starting Sunday, 13 December 2009, trains on the entire Betuwe Route can be powered by electricity. Even the last section of the goods railway line between Barendrecht and the Maasvlakte is now provided with 25 kilovolts. This will enable transporters to have their freight cars loaded with cargo taken directly from the port of Rotterdam to Germany and further afield by electric locomotives.
Electric locomotives provide important environmental benefits. An electric locomotive releases up to 90 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere than a transport lorry. The emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particles and sulphur dioxide (SO2) is also much lower in the case of electric ally powered trains.
Up to now, transporters that used electric locomotives had to switch to a diesel locomotive when they wanted to drive onto the Port railway line from the A-15 line of the Betuwe Route.
The entire Betuwe Route is now also fully equipped with the European train protection system ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) This ensures that trains maintain a sufficient distance between them and prevents them from passing a red signal, even at low speeds. The 20 different national train protection systems currently in use in Europe will in time be replaced by this standard.
Emissions
| CO2 | NOx | PM10 | SO2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| g/ton-km | g/ton-km | g/ton-km | g/ton-km | |
| Transport lorry > 20 ton | 121-163 | 0.81-1.10 | 0.018-0.024 | 0.075-0.101 |
| Tractor with trailer | 96-130 | 0.63-0.85 | 0.013-0.018 | 0.059-0.080 |
| Electric train | 11.2-61 | 0.006-0.020 | 0.000-0.001 | 0.002-0.031 |
| Diesel train | 14.2-66 | 0.25-0.38 | 0.005-0.008 | 0.009-0.0405 |
Source: CE Delft, Study into transport emissions of transport means, 2008
The study reviewed container transport in 2010 over a distance of more than 150 km. The upper and lower limits of the emissions are determined by the load level and the extent of road transport involved prior to and after the rail transport. The data includes emissions during refining and electricity production.
