From January 2026, new railway companies will organise first and last mile traffic in the Antwerp port area.

This is part of an operational plan to optimise freight transport by rail and increase the share of rail in the port. A joint rail vision of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Railport and INFRABEL lays the foundation for various initiatives.

On behalf of the industry and shippers, Railport has been organising traffic for conventional single wagon load (SWL) and block trains via fixed zones in the port since 2024. Railport appoints a railway company for each zone to carry out the first and last mile journeys. This offers a number of advantages, such as greater efficiency and flexibility, better use of port infrastructure and increased accessibility for smaller loads.

The railway undertakings in area 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 will remain the same due to positive evaluations. The new tendering procedure for these area will start in January 2026.

The model has been positively evaluated over the past two years. By better coordinating the delivery and collection of wagons and bundling these operations, rail transport has achieved significant efficiency gains. This allows longer trains to use the available rail infrastructure. There was better cooperation and a clear positive impact on all parties.

Railport, a collaboration between Port of Antwerp-Bruges, essenscia, Alfaport Voka and MLSO, has as its main task to double the share of rail transport in the port in the coming years.