Expansion of the Maasvlakte west yard

The Maasvlakte West Extension project involved the design and realization of the doubling of the railroad yard, including overhead lines, maintenance roads, relay houses, engineering and installations. A total of 70 points, 18 tracks of about 750 meters and 2 kilometres of fire mains were installed. Increasing train traffic due to the arrival of the new container terminals at Maasvlakte II necessitated the expansion.

The project was ProRail's first Best Value Procurement project. This philosophy is based on procuring and realizing the highest value for the lowest price (best value). Dura Vermeer looked at building as cost-effective as possible and at the sustainable aspect and maintenance costs. One example: by including track crossings in the design at logical positions for the future rollout of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System), replacing the standard grass finish in the train zones with maintenance-free crushed stone and installing LED site lighting and points heating with insulation. These additions that affect the contract price will be recovered later.

Companies using the rail roads could not transport goods at all times. As the freight trains were ready to go again after the scheduled outage, the outages could not be extended. All stakeholders received bi-monthly satisfaction surveys during the project. By providing accurate and timely information and a structured feedback process, we ensured more support on the one hand. On the other hand, this allowed for quick and professional response and adjustment. Our objective was a satisfaction rating of at least 8. This worked out as planned.