- Iron Rhine
The Iron Rhine (Dutch: "IJzeren Rijn" / German: "Eiserner Rhein") is a freight railway connecting the port of
Antwerp inBelgium toMönchengladbach inGermany by way ofNeerpelt and the Dutch towns ofWeert andRoermond .The Treaty of London between
the Netherlands andBelgium in1839 recognised the independence of Belgium. As part of the treaty, Belgium had the right to build aroad orcanal fromSittard to thePrussia n border over Dutch territory, with Belgium funding the construction. This right was further established in theIron Rhine Treaty of1873 . At first Belgium planned to dig a canal, but in the end it opted for a railway.In
1868 construction of the Iron Rhine started, and in1879 the first trains used the railway. Initially, traffic was dense and frequent, but it decreased over time. Currently the railroad is used by some trains between Antwerp and the zinc factory inBudel , and between Budel andWeert . The line Weert -Roermond is part of the DutchIntercity network, and is used daily by many trains. Between Roermond and the German border, traffic has fully ceased since1991 .Reopening
In
2004 Belgium requested a reopening of the Iron Rhine. This is the result of the increasing transport of goods between the port of Antwerp and the GermanRuhr Area . As part of the European policy ofmodal shift on the increasing traffic of goods, transport over railway lines and waterways is preferred over road transport.Currently Belgium uses the
Montzenroute , south of the Iron Rhine, from Antwerp toAachen viaAarschot ,Hasselt ,Tongeren and Montzen, for transportation of goods to Germany. High passenger traffic on parts of this route causes a lack of capacity for goods, and a number of steep inclines over the route make it problematic for long and heavy trains.The Belgian request is based on the treaty of 1839, and the Iron Rhine Treaty of 1873. Critics feel that Belgium cannot call upon these treaties, as in the treaty of 1873 Belgium had been granted a concession of 99 years on the Iron Rhine Railroad, a period which ended in
1972 . Furthermore, Belgium has sold the railroad to the Dutch Government. The strongest argument is that the railroad runs through the nature reserve ofDe Meinweg , and nature activists fear destruction of the local habitat of several threatened species.After a series of failed negotiations, the Belgian and Dutch governments agreed to take the issue to the
Permanent Court of Arbitration and respect its ruling in the case. In its ruling ofMay 24 2005 , the court acknowledged both the Belgian rights under the cessation treaty of 1839 and the Dutch concerns for the nature reserve. The 1839 treaty still applies, the court found, giving Belgium the right to use and modernize the Iron Rhine. However, it has to finance the modernisation of the line, while the Netherlands have to fund the repairs and maintenance of the route. Both countries will split the costs of the construction of a tunnel beneath the nature reserve.External links
* [http://www.projectijzerenrijn.nl/ Project IJzeren Rijn] (in Dutch)
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