There has only been fractional increase in the amount of freight moved over the Dutch railway network over the past 10 years,  according to the national statistics office CBS.

The increase of 500,000 tonnes took the total to 41.2 million tonnes of freight between 2007 and 2017. Cross-border freight accounted for 93% of all cargo moved by rail.

Domestic freight volume nosedived to just over 2.7 million tonnes from more than 5.5 million tonnes in 2007, the CBS said. Germany is the main partner with regard to rail cargo: 74% of goods are headed to Germany, while 49% of goods imported by rail come from Germany.

The purpose-built all-cargo Betuwe line to Germany was completed in 2007 at a cost of €4.7 bn, more than twice the original projection.  About 100 cargo trains move along the 160km line to the German border every 24 hours, less than half  the route’s capacity. The German end of the Betuwe line remains unfinished.

Cargo also moves between the Netherlands and Italy, Belgium, Austria and Poland by rail in significantly smaller volumes.