The Port of Rotterdam Authority, ProRail and SWIETELSKY Rail Benelux have begun construction of the Maasvlakte-Zuid (EMZ) rail yard following a ceremony on the Maasvlakte on 10 October 2025.
The first phase will deliver six sidings designed for 740-metre freight trains and connect them to the existing port rail network. ProRail expects to commission this first bundle in the third quarter of 2027. Up to four bundles in total are planned, to be added in stages based on demand after 2027.
The EMZ yard is part of a wider programme to strengthen rail access to Maasvlakte, which includes electrifying the distribution triangle and outer contour, modifying the C2 curve, and adding two through-tracks to remove capacity bottlenecks on the port railway line through 2040.
According to the Port of Rotterdam, the yard will support longer trains that move more containers with fewer movements, enabling higher throughput with lower emissions and unit costs.
The completed programme is expected to allow about 6,750 additional train movements annually between Maasvlakte and the hinterland, potentially displacing around 675,000 truck trips per year.
Regional reporting puts first-phase capital expenditure at about €140 million and the site area at roughly 27 hectares near the Slufter node.
These figures are consistent with trade-press coverage and on-site reporting from August to October 2025.
The project follows an EU CEF-funded study of future bottlenecks on Maasvlakte 2 and is aligned with the port’s rail logistics strategy.
The design provides for up to 24 tracks at full build-out and includes landscape and biodiversity measures.
Port of Rotterdam Authority is a public limited company jointly owned by the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Dutch State. It owns, develops and manages the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport, overseeing infrastructure, logistics planning and sustainability initiatives.
ProRail is a state-owned company responsible for managing, maintaining and expanding the Dutch national railway infrastructure. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and coordinates rail capacity, safety and operations across the Netherlands.
SWIETELSKY Rail Benelux B.V. is a subsidiary of Swietelsky AG, an Austrian construction group. The Benelux branch specialises in railway construction and maintenance projects in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, focusing on heavy rail, tram and metro infrastructure.
