(c) Philippe van Gelooven

CFE is working towards smoother mobility in the harbour

To construct the link the government agency Infrabel, the infrastructure manager of the Belgian rail network, set up a public-private partnership or PPP construction in the form of a DBFM contract (design, build, finance and maintain).

After the official announcement in April 2004, 3 international construction consortia were retained following selection and first offer for the BAFO (best and final offer).   On 5 November 2008 Locorail NV was commissioned to execute the project. Locorail NV is a project company (SPV) specifically established for the project with CFE NV, VINCI Concessions SA and BAM PPP Investments Belgium as its shareholders.  

Locorail NV is responsible for the financing, design and construction of the infrastructure, will be responsible for the maintenance costs of the infrastructure for 38 years and will make it available for this period to Infrabel, who will in return pay compensation in an amount of 50 million € per year. In 2051 Locorail NV will transfer the right of use of the infrastructure to Infrabel in full.

The private financing entity Locorail NV is financed on the one hand by the European Investment Bank and on the other hand by private investors such as ING, Fortis Banco Santander, Société Générale, the Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten and the Bayerische Landesbank.

The design and the actual construction activities will be carried out on behalf of Locorail NV by the Joint Venture, THV Locobouw, consisting of MBG (division of CFE), VINCI Construction Grands Projects, CEI-De Meyer and Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau. Locobouw will therefore construct the railway bedding from Bundel Zuid to the Beveren rail tunnel, which it will also renovate and adapt. It will also build an access tunnel between the Beveren rail tunnel and the railway tunnel to be constructed, it will dig two single-track bore tunnels over a 6 km trajectory under the Schelde and the Kanaaldok B1-B2, and it will build a closed tunnel construction and open access ramp on Antwerp’s Right Bank.

At a construction cost of 680 M€ this project is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever to be carried out in Belgium.

Because the public and private sectors are working jointly on implementing the project, each of them is creating added value for itself on the basis of a clear division of work as well as risk. Thanks to PPP the government and the companies can each do what they are best at, so that both can benefit from their cooperation.