During a pre-planned 130-hour technical “window,” a concrete culvert was successfully installed beneath the railway tracks at the Maasvlakte site, marking a significant milestone in the realization of the new Maasvlakte Zuid Railway Yard project. The operation was executed through close collaboration between the clients – ProRail and the Port of Rotterdam Authority – and the contracting firms Swietelsky, Van der Linden Beton, Boskalis, De Koning, and CT De Boer. The engineering solution involved the pre-assembly of two tunnel tubes – constructed from precast concrete sections – within an excavation pit adjacent to the tracks, followed by their “pushing” beneath the railway embankment using a hydraulic jacking system.
Thanks to this approach, the work was completed rapidly and under strictly controlled conditions, thereby minimizing the impact on train traffic and operations at the Rotterdam Locomotive Depot (LWR). The installation of the culvert in the area connecting to the depot’s track network will enable the future laying of cable lines and pipelines without the need to excavate the railway embankment again – a capability of particular importance for the implementation of energy transition projects and infrastructure development initiatives.
Concurrently with the main operations, Strukton and KPN managed the relocation of a water main belonging to Evides and a pressure pipeline owned by the Port of Rotterdam Authority; protective casings for these lines had been installed in advance. The coordination of all project phases with local stakeholders was conducted over a period of three years, ensuring that the work was carried out with minimal disruption to business operations and railway services in the area.