After the demolition of the Emscher Bridge, the Voerde-Emmelsum port is once again connected to the railway network. This was announced by the Deltaport Niederrheinhäfen in a press release. Accordingly, around two years after the sudden end of the rail connection due to the demolition of the Emscher Bridge in Dinslaken, freight trains have been running to the Voerde-Emmelsum port again since Maundy Thursday. The associated restoration of the trimodal accessibility of the locations is a significant milestone for the infrastructure on the Lower Rhine.
The background: On July 15, 2023, the Emscher Bridge had to be demolished for safety reasons. Heavy rain and erosion damage to the Emscher embankment had jeopardized the structural integrity of the bridge to such an extent that dismantling was inevitable. The consequences hit the Deltaport ports with full force. The trimodal connection – the linkage of road, rail, and waterway – was interrupted. Particularly affected, besides the Emmelsum port, were the Rhine-Lippe port in Wesel and the Hünxe-Bucholtwelmen industrial area. Deltaport estimated the annual transshipment losses at around 650,000 tons.
Creative Detours Instead of Standstill
Despite this hiatus, Deltaport managed, according to its own statements, to develop pragmatic solutions together with resident companies. Sappi Germany GmbH, which handles pulp at the Emmelsum port and distributes paper products throughout Europe from there, temporarily relied on an alternative rail connection. For this purpose, the connection of the company Pilkington was used, providing access to the Betuwe line via the route operated by Deltaport between the city port of Wesel and the Wesel train station.
"The bridge demolition posed enormous challenges for us, but we quickly switched to a 'now more than ever' mode," Hansjürgen Peichler, Managing Director of Sappi Germany, is quoted as saying.
Together with port neighbor Jerich International and the port operator, a viable concept was developed to mitigate the impact of the rail outage.
At Rhenus in Wesel, they also express relief. Henning Brands, head of the logistics center, sees the return of the rail connection as a central element for the sustainable orientation of the location:
"The goal is to shift flows of goods as much as possible to environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as inland shipping and rail."
Construction in Record Time Thanks to Close Cooperation
The new bridge over the Emscher is a so-called temporary bridge from the federal stock. It is designed for an operational life of up to 20 years and is intended to secure freight traffic on the single-track connection between Oberhausen and Spellen until a complete new construction is realized. From Deltaport's perspective, the reconstruction proceeded in remarkably short time—thanks also to the cooperation with federal and state politics as well as DB InfraGo.
“We have waited a long time for this day. Now the time has finally come for the Emmelsum port to be reconnected to the rail network,” says Dieter Thurm, technical director and authorized signatory of Deltaport.
The new bridge is more resilient to flooding, thanks in part to an increased span of 60 meters and deep-founded abutments on bored piles. The planning of the final bridge solution is being carried out in close coordination with the Emschergenossenschaft.
Voerde's mayor Dirk Haarmann praised the constructive cooperation of all parties involved:
“Fortunately, everyone worked hand in hand to keep the losses and damage to the Voerde location as low as possible.”
New Momentum for Log4NRW
With the restoration of the rail connection, Deltaport hopes to bring new momentum to the statewide Log4NRW project. The initiative, under the patronage of NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer, aims to increase the shift of freight transport to rail and inland waterways. Along with Deltaport, Duisport, the Dortmund port, and the Kreisbahn Siegen-Wittgenstein are also involved. The bridge demolition had recently brought the project to a halt.
“The bridge collapse, as a result of extreme weather caused by climate change, clearly shows how important projects for traffic diversion and CO2 reduction in the logistics sector are,” emphasized Thurm. DeltaPort will further expand its commitment to these future issues.
