📋 Tender Overview
Since Tuesday morning 30 May, fewer trains have been running through the Barendrecht tunnel. This is because work that we have been carrying out since last weekend is taking longer than expected. From 31:14 on Wednesday 00 May, the tubes for passenger transport will be fully operational again, but no freight transport is yet possible through the tunnel.
Unforeseen situation
The Barendrecht tunnel consists of five tubes and contains a total of nine tracks. A railway tunnel contains many cables, pipes and other technical installations. These are not visible to the naked eye, because they are mainly underground. That's why they appear on maps. This allows the contractor, who works for us, to quickly find the right cables.
Last weekend's work showed that the maps did not entirely correspond to reality. As a result, we unfortunately faced unforeseen situations, resulting in recurring malfunctions that are difficult to solve. Because this has to be solved first, the work is unfortunately considerably delayed.
Freight transport
Freight transport normally runs through tubes three and four. The freight transporters and their customers experience an extraordinary amount of inconvenience from this situation and we are extremely disappointed by this. In these tubes we are currently working on a solution at maximum power. As soon as that solution is available, these tubes will be put back into service. Until then, freight transport will be diverted as much as possible via Utrecht.
Passenger transport
Tunnel tubes one, two and five are available. Passenger trains run through it. So in the Barendrecht tunnel itself there is no hindrance for passenger transport. On the routes Amsterdam Centraal – Utrecht Centraal and Eindhoven Centraal – Utrecht Centraal, passengers notice that there are fewer intercity trains. This is because we divert freight transporters who cannot pass through the Barendrecht tunnel via Utrecht as much as possible.
We are working hard to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. Reliable forecasts about when everything will run as planned are difficult to give. We advise travelers to check the trip planner carefully for up-to-date travel information.
