Europorte trains now authorised to operate in Belgium

Europorte, the Groupe Eurotunnel rail freight subsidiary, has been certified, as part of its European licence, to operate its goods trains on Infrabel, the Belgian rail network.

This safety certification, issued by the SCCIF (Service de sécurité et d’Interopérabilité des chemins de fer, the Belgian railway safety authority) allows Europorte to extend its development in Belgium. Since 19 March Europorte has been operating direct services up to six times per week, under licence, between the quarry at Lessines (Belgium) and the cement works at Obourg, near Amiens (Picardy).

Situated at the heart of the European cross-roads, Belgium represents a number of opportunities for Europorte, already the third largest operator in France and Great Britain, since the Belgian contract comprises 6.3 G t/km and Anvers is the second largest European port.

François Coart, Development Director of Europorte, stated “Europorte is seeking to become a major player in European rail freight. The certification granted by the Belgian authorities allows us to directly manage our expansion in Belgium and deliver to our customers the benefits of our quality of service and reliability.”