The Betuweroute: The Dutch New 'Freight Only' Railway

[@gilles111]

It isn't freight only. Between Meteren (the connection to the main line Utrecht - Den Bosch) and Elst (mainline Arnhem - Nijmegen) the line is also in use for diverted passenger trains (i.e. by accidents or maintanance works) between Utrecht and Arnhem. Because of the 25KV AC overhead lines en ERTMS Level 2 on the track it can only by train capable of these systems so there are only ICE and other international trains are using the tracks. They are only allowed on this part of the track because there are no tunnels. The tunnels on the route aren't capable of evacuating large numbers of people so only freight trains are allowed through the Sophia-, Giessen-, PanKan- and Zevenaar tunnels.

[@Hollandstation]

True. I didn't know that of the tunnels tho. However, it's very, very rare for the trains to go via the Betuweroute.

[@mawo-z6r]

@@HollandstationI work near the Utrecht-Den Bosch line and see ICE trains probably once or twice a week or so.

[@gilles111]

@@mawo-z6r They don't necessarily use the BetuweRoute when they pass by at the line Utrecht - Geldermalsen. There are a lot of construction works going on between Emmerich and Oberhausen due to the third track they are (finally) building and some trains are diverted via Venlo - Kaldenkrirchen. This week there were also diverted trains due to a flooding of the tracks between Wesel and Dinslaken.

[@mawo-z6r]

@@gilles111 fair enough, yeah. I probably got “lucky” that the one time I took ICE International from Keulen to Utrecht, my train was diverted over the Betuweroute.

[@tim19962]

Will the incg make sure that this happends more often?

[@DigitalDiabloUK]

It's nice that see a (Dutch) government putting people's wellbeing quite high on the priority list, with electrification and sound damping.

[@toraxmalu]

"They are doing things other in Germany" is a understatement… Since the reunion they concentrated all efforts mainly to projects in east Germany or in prestige projects and in the remaining country the infrastructure was run in "wear-mode" - reduced maintenance and repairing. well, we pay now the price…

[@becconvideo]

It is embarrassing - we fail in evey railway project - be it the connection to the NEAT to Italy, the new Brenner base tunnel in Austria and the Vogelfluglinie tunnel toward Denmark. Railways as a whole are a complete mess in Germany. Our populist green government handed out cheap tickets for their clientel passengers while not funding the track maintainance let alone new projects. The next issue is that some green NGOs always find some rare plants or animals to derail any type of infrastructure project. Meanwhile - lorries like a string of pearl 24h 6 days a week run down the road infrastructure. There has been no point whatsoever to invest so heavily in passenger railway - which Germany did - while neclecting freight. Nice to see that it works in NL.

[@toraxmalu]

@@becconvideo it would not be so embarrassing, if it would be limited to rail ways… In the district Constance we have a part of the B33, were planned upgrading the link from motorways crossing Hegau to Constance in a motorway style since the 80's. Since the 2000s the Swiss government suggested to lent a credit to speed up the construction-works, which are halted because money issue again - in 2022… Or the B31 Freiburg to Tuttlingen - south of the A8 Karlsruhe-Pforzheim-Stuttgart one of the few really powerful Black forest crossings: They constructed the tunnels beneath Döggingen with two tubes but built only one bridge! Now this bridge in need of overhaul, but because money issues the other bridge was never built and is now missing… I fear we'll see again the whole traffic waltzing through Döggingen like in the 80's and 90's… and then I have a look over the borders to Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland and I am ashamed to compare our streets with them. Even the Frensh-men keeping up their roads in better conditions!

[@meki___6881]

It's more the not in my backyard communitys Combined with awful planing Stuttgart 21 and somewhere they forgot an entire Bridge first I thought they did forget a walk or road Bridge no it was a main Bridge taking tracks from one side and leading them to an airport which was the main Point of the project

[@toraxmalu]

@@meki___6881 it is not only that… the S21-project kills the whole main line Stuttgart-Zurich-Milano and the whole middle-section of the state Baden-Württemberg. We're cut-off from international connections for the next minimum 10 years…

[@meki___6881]

@@toraxmalu Stuttgart 21 is just such a disaster on multiple levels If they would keep the old station there would be way less problems For context they are already planning of having two trains on the same track Behind each other That Option should only be used for emergencys or a number of Special cases not be dayly operation for a new train station And because db has a distaste for switches there isn't a Cross switch in the middle either (so the train in the back can move out which would make that operation alot more usable)

[@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791]

I cannot put into words how much I love trains.

[@danielros7798]

0:21 The Betuweroute is actually part of the European TEN-T network, so it's more of a European plan rather than a plan from the Dutch government

[@nicolasblume1046]

It's really stupid that the connecting German line is only being expanded to 3 tracks instead of 4.

[@MrRvandeW]

I've walked inside the Giessen tunnel as a little kid while it was under construction, me and some friends climbed down a service ladder and just walked around a bit before leaving again. Also firing 'carbid' underneath the newly built bridges over the Betuweroute nearby before 'fierljepping' our way out of there back to the farm, fun times

[@eottoe2001]

TY. I was in Amsterdam last month and was trying to figure out if there was a freight train services. It is good to see there are.

[@DavidIwanow]

Very impressive visuals showing the different track usages

[@Naraenda]

Nice footage! Thanks for filming this!

[@szymex22]

Very nice that they put the money into sustainable rail transportation. I read a while ago that there is no NS Cargo - they sold it to DB. Interesting

[@yaush_]

“This railroad like it needs some passenger service” -Amtrak

[@henkdraaijer2525]

Mooie informatieve video 👍

[@gaius_enceladus]

Interesting. India too is building high-speed freight-only railway lines!

[@death_parade]

India's are already built. Almost ready.

[@jjohn1234]

Learned quite a bit there! Quality is going up!

[@Hollandstation]

Thx man!

[@DavidMorley]

Fascinating stuff. Subscribed!

[@Hollandstation]

I like

[@joebarrett4353]

Fascinating. The Dutch are so innovative

[@christianlandre6892]

Nice work :)

[@jondurr]

New? In 1988, the Dutch state-owned passenger railway company NS began work on the line. Delayed by two years, the railway was finished in mid-2007. The final cost was 4.7 billion euros, more than twice the original budget of 2.3 billion euros and more than quadruple the initial estimate from 1990 of 1.1 billion euros.

[@Hollandstation]

With new I mean you have the rail network from the 19th and early 20th century. Then there was a time nothing was build. And now there have been 3 lines build to add to the existing network: the Betuweroute, the Hsl and the Hanzelijn. So those do I consider as new.

[@johnstudd4245]

Actually that does not sound to bad for a project that took that long. I don't know what the rate of inflation for the Guilder/Euro would have been in that period of time. I am across the pond in the States, and I would hate to think of how much over the initial budget estimate for a 20 year project would have been here.

[@BigGameFriend]

Nice video. Only thing I noticed at 7:34 is that you put up footage of station Hemmen-Dodewaard, which is located in the Betuwe, while talking about the Achterhoek.

[@Hollandstation]

That's correct. Well spotted! I didn't had footage of the achterhoek so a red GTW trains was the thing that was the most close to it haha

[@vincentstuer]

There are currently plans to build 2 westbound connecting tracks between the conventional line and the Betuweroute at Meteren, this is so that the goods trains currently running thru the big cities of braband can be diverted onto the Betuweroute and increase its use even more

[@mdhazeldine]

Excellent video. I didn't realise it was you, because you changed your channel name! Nice to see you still making videos :)

[@Hollandstation]

Thank you! and you thanks for commenting all the time!

[@peskypotato]

Very informative, thank you!

[@kirankok6845]

Great video, i wish I could have been there with you.

[@Hollandstation]

Thx hopefully next time!

[@dutchman7623]

Really time for Germany to take action. Sustainable transport of shipcontainers to, and from, their industrial areas to limit road transport. Show you are really green minded!

[@SeverityOne]

Why, I don't know, but the Germans _really_ have a very big backlog of infrastructure improvements. One of the reasons why the Netherlands didn't flood in the past week (last week of 2023) is because Germany did. You cannot drive a non-trivial distance on the Autobahn without running into some sort of maintenance works (which was already the case over 40 years ago). Their passenger train punctuality is lower than any of its neighbours, barely reaching 70%.

[@frankgeurts3912]

Germany never wanted this line

[@frankgeurts3912]

Money

[@flierfy]

Mind you that the existing line copes pretty well with the fairly small number of trains from the Betuweroute.

[@dutchman7623]

@@flierfy Capacity of the Betuwelijn is a hundred times higher than Germany can, and should, handle.

[@uncipaws7643]

The Betuwe line is electrified with 25 kV AC 50 Hz, in contrast to most of the NS network which has 1.5 kV DC. In the past the DC electrification went to Emmerich in Germany where the locomotive was changed to one of the German 15 kV 16.7 Hz system. Nowadays passenger trains coming from the DC system change over to 25 kV AC near Zevenaar, from there all trains use the same double track line into Emmerich, with a changeover between 25 and 15 kV near Elten. This setup requires multi-system locomotives and trains that switch between systems while moving. In practice the rolling stock used across this border seems to be: ICE 3 class 406/407/408 (DB/NS), Flirt 3 multi-system (Vias ex Abellio) for local trains, and class 189, Traxx MS and Vectron MS for freight trains. Can you confirm this? The video also shows some diesel locomotives (probably local freight or shunting). (Also the ICE line to Amsterdam still seems to be 140 to 160 km/h, are there any plans of upgrading it? That could speed up inland intercity trains too, using IC NG sets.)

[@Hollandstation]

There are ICE's, Vias trains and freight trains. And the elektrification on that piece of shared track is indeed 25.000 kV so as far as I know you're right. The problem with upgrading tracks from 140 km/h to 160 km/h is that the signalling system is outdated and can't handle 160 km/h safely. I think that that's the main factor holding the maximum speed on 140 km/h. All the IC trains can technically reach speeds of 160 km/h and more in the case of the ICNG.

[@hansd3295]

If you had driven a little further, you could have visited the Giessenspoort tunnel at Hardinxveld, you were almost there :-)

[@lvovodessa]

I have seen several diverted passenger trains on this railroad so it's not strictly forbidden for passenger trains. Nevertheless, there aren't any railroad stations and the railroad tunnels are probably forbidden for passenger trains with passengers.

[@Hollandstation]

very, very rarely it's used as a route from arnhem to utrecht when there is construction. these are only international trains but do have passengers with them. however, the railway was never built for this.

[@itsacorporatething]

Great ideas for when I play “Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic.” My freight trains keep getting in the way of my passenger trains.

[@Schroinx]

The Ducht part was made for double stack containers and electrified, but then downgraded to 1 stack, as the Germans where not keen on the idea.

[@death_parade]

I thought only India had double stacked electrified freight trains.

[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

The only thing I don’t get about the Betuweroute is, if you only destination is the German rail network,why did you electrify the line with 25kW 50Hz. It neither the Dutch, nor the German electrification system. 25kW, 50Hz is great, even the defacto international standard, also AC is just better for mainline rail. But still wouldn’t it made more sense, unter the circumstances of the Betuwerute to electrify it with the German 15kW 16.7 Hz?

The problem with the low frequency AC is it needs its own power plant and transmission network. This is why Denmark also choose 25kV 50Hz, despite being between two 15kV 16.7Hz countries.

[@ClemensKatzer]

Sounds like a good idea to me!

[@TheMateriaalkunde]

Those electric locomotives, built by Bombardier or Siemens, can be fed with the most used overhead voltages in Europe: 1500 V DC, 3000 V DC, 15000 Volt slow AC and 25000 Volt 50 Hz AC. Looking at such locomotives, the inner two (of four) pantographs are for DC, the outer for AC. Looking at the locomotive it becomes clear what voltage is over that track. The classic electrification in the Netherlands is 1500V DC, and so are the major passengers and freight yard electrifications equipped, including Kijfhoek formation station. The high speed passenger lines and the observed Betuwe and Europort freight lines feed 25000 Volt AC, so the trains must change frequently. Funny is that none of the neighbouring countries (Belgium and Germany) uses one of these voltages. Belgium feeds 3000 Volt DC (though 25000 Volt AC locally). Germany has the low frequency (16Hz) 15000 Volt AC system. That seems odd and outdated, however, it is being used in Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden.

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

Today, the overhead voltage with current traction systems basically no longer matters. Due to the usage of asynchronous 3-phase motors feed by variable frequency drives... which is feed by 3 or 1,5 kV DC. In the case of NS, a big reason why a change to 25 kV 50 Hz for the passenger net is the structures - a lot of roof and bridges which is ok with 1500 DC but will be a mess due to nearness at 25 kV.

[@SimonTog]

Very interesseting video :)

[@Hollandstation]

Thank you!

[@1AngryPanda]

Seems like the Germany are the only ones in central europe who did not fullfilled the work on the network where contracts where singed for in the 90‘.

[@TheCell-vx3pk]

I can pick up where you left off. Living in Wesel (a short trip down the Betuwe-Line into Germany) my whole life, the main reason why nothing gets done is the DB (Deutsche Bahn - engl. German Rail). They successfully managed over the course of the last 30 years to do basically nothing much, but waste money. But I'm not sure if it's better or worse that actually using that money on the Betuwe-Line. The main problem is, that many towns evolved around the train station in Germany, especially after WW2, when towns had to be built from the ground up. Now we only have a few, heavily congested tracks, that go directly though said towns. Obviously, people are living next to those exact railroad tracks for decades, and do not want the sudden expansion right into their backyards (often quite literally). Sadly, there are no option to just build new tracks around the towns and cities. For the past few years the DB wants to add a third track to the whole line, which most towns and cities heavily disagree with. Though the DB has a simple solution: Certain benefits, or in other terms: Legal extortion. The process is simple: If there is any major commercial benefit in the Betuwe-Line, they try improve the existing deals in order to be allowed to build. If there is no major commercial benefit (like with Wesel), they promise the full force of Germany bureaucracy. In Wesel's case. For a major bypass, to reduce traffic inside the city itself, they need/ed to build under the Betuwe-Line. Well... Too bad it will take a total of at least 10 years to deal with the bureaucracy... Unless... A certain town called Wesel makes the decision to allow the third track. The railway bridge is build, so you can take a guess what Wesel chose.

[@CaptainsChannel58]

Same thing happening here in Australia. Literally Billions spent on it and not a single passenger train in sight. Insanity. In a country which has been begging for some high speed intercity rail for decades ..

[@Abel_DG]

The Betuweroute runs next to passenger train tracks, the Betuweroute would add little to no value if passenger trains would run on it.

[@CaptainsChannel58]

@@Abel_DG not the case here. The billions spent on this standalone line in Australia was for freight only.

[@death_parade]

@@CaptainsChannel58 Still, Australia's freight railway is impressive, transporting around 0.7 Trillion ton-km of freight per year. Compared to some others:- EU: 0.35 India: 0.9 Russia: 2.5 USA: 2.5 It is impressive, because all the above are much larger economies than Australia (except Russia). Then again, Australia is a resource exporting nation and is a continent all on its own, so maybe this is bound to happen.

[@558vulcanxh]

Thank you, how very far sighted the Dutch government is compared with ours in the Uk 😊

[@flopunkt3665]

Didn't Brexit magically solve every single problem over there? 😜

[@558vulcanxh]

@@flopunkt3665 Good Morning, Sir, re Brexit , 48%of us voted to remain 👍 I feel European as does My family. Brexit only created the foreseen problems , it's a disaster . Brought on us by easily fooled voters and low IQ politicians cheered on by the right wing elements of the press. Best Regards Ian UK 🇬🇧

[@capybaratherealoneNL]

@@558vulcanxhWe will welcome you back into EU!!

[@stephensmith4480]

I have worked on The Freight Railway in The UK for 34 Years and compared to this operation, it is shambolic.

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

Very cool

[@Rail-and-Road-Transportation]

In grote lijnen klopt het verhaal wel, maar er zitten ook wel weer heel wat fouten in. Was misschien beter geweest filmpje voor uploaden te laten bekijken door mensen die meer van deze lijn weten.

[@melkisrood9658]

where is the best place to spot?

[@Hollandstation]

I spotted near the Sliedrecht railway station due to it's accesebility with public transport, the lack of sound barriers and the fact there was a curve in the track. But honestly it's quite possible you can find a better or similar place if you you just check out the railway at google maps earth.Watch out for the sound barriers! succes

[@Dan-cd6hm]

Nice video! I'm surprised to see so much dirty coal still being imported 😬

[@capybaratherealoneNL]

Germans amirght?

[@Hollandstation]

germans

[@MvanPelt]

Very interesting video! Can NL please adopt Nordrhein-Westphalen from its abusive German traffic planners?

[@thbe51]

Do German trains work on 1.5 kV DC in Holland?

[@Hollandstation]

Nope. At Least, from kijfhoek towards Germany they don't have to because that's electrified with the European standard of 25 kV ac

[@tanithrosenbaum]

Pretty much all new locomotives from all manufacturers are available with all four power systems (1.5kV DC, 3kV DC, 15kV 16 2/3 or 16.7 Hz AC and 25 kV 50 Hz AC) in use in Europe, and have been for at least 10 years. I know this used to be an issue, but it's not one any more.

[@StefanWithTrains]

​@tanithrosenbaum Multiple voltage trains have existed since the 80s with examples of the Benelux trains and the TGV.

[@tanithrosenbaum]

@@StefanWithTrains I know. What I'm getting at is that for the last 10 years, it's been more or less standard in all new locomotives, and not a expensive specially developed solution for one locomotive type, as it has been before.

[@gilles111]

@@Hollandstation At Kijfhoek there is 1500V DC. Also, the German overhead system is 15KV AC, not the European standard 25KV. German locos capable of driving along the BR are all multi courant locos with at least 15KV AC, 25KV AC and 1500V DC on board.

[@nothingmowslikeaherder]

het is ook het duurste project ooit geweest in nederland.

[@SuperDoetinchem]

Let's hope northern Betuwe is never build. If Rotterdam wants it can be a tunnel

[@GustavSvard]

The logical end of this freight line isn't Germany or even Wien. The logical ends are India & China. Even if one could get the rest of Europe on board there'd still be Russia & Iran etc in the way, so not gonna happen. But if it DID exist then the amount of freight on such a line would be crazy.

[@death_parade]

From EU to China might be possible on trains alone. But to India? How? India is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Even if you could get the trains to go through, it would be a very unreliable service. A better bet would be to leverage the IMEC that India and Israel are building through the Middle East and INSTC that India and Russia are building through Iran and Central Asia. It will be multimodal, so not as smooth as a single non-stop rail line, but still more reliable than a rail-line from EU to India through Pakistan (or China, although the Himalayas prevent that).

[@akim.r671]

Sorry to say but this tracks is so bs that is because there 1 of the biggest river in Europe going along site this track and a lot more ships can stil go there

[@EatNoJexy]

and than welcome to germany, where we transport all of our goods in a BMW

[@DaveMeuleman]

"New" 🤣🤣🤣

[@HSTHoward]

It isn’t new either

[@bas4498]

I don’t like the concept of the Noordtak

[@jordykronenburg5574]

"New"

[@RichardDuinmayer]

Not new