Europe Will Revive The Iron Rhine To Counter Russian Federation
- 15.08.2025, 7:51
- 7,614
This will increase troop mobility.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are in talks to revive the Iron Rhine railroad to increase troop mobility in response to the growing threat from Russia.
This is reported by Politico.
It should be noted that the Iron Rhine is a rail line that connects the Belgian port of Antwerp to the Ruhr (industrial) region of Germany. It was built back in the nineteenth century but fell into disrepair after World War II.
Now that the EU's military mobility needs are growing and other rail lines are facing capacity problems, pressure to take action is growing.
"It's getting (countries - ed.) on their nerves," said a mobility consultant close to the talks, noting that discussions are gaining momentum.
A spokesman for Belgium's transport ministry Thomas De Spiegeler also virtually confirmed the talks, saying the following:
"This project is political. Prime Minister Bart De Wever has taken control of the project," he said.
Why the project may remain unrealized
Despite the support, not everyone fully agrees with the idea of giving priority to reviving the railroad.
Particularly among them are the Dutch. Their section is short, and the parallel Betuwe line already connects Rotterdam to Germany.
This reluctance also has commercial roots: the Port of Antwerp (Belgian) has long been in favor of the Iron Rhine, seeing it as a potential challenge to the Port of Rotterdam's dominance in the region.
Simply put, the Netherlands doesn't want the project because it offers little to them and could also hurt its main port, Rotterdam, thereby strengthening its rival, Belgium's Antwerp. But at the same time, the country may also agree.
Belgium hopes that the military aspect will speed up the project's resumption. But as railroad expert Hermann Walter noted, "the key to success is with the Netherlands." He added that if it costs little or nothing for the country, then "they will cooperate."
The expert said one reason the Netherlands may change its mind is a potential financial boost from new NATO and EU spending targets.
In particular, in the proposal for the next EU budget, 17 billion euros could be allocated for military mobility from 2027.
"If the EU provides free money to build infrastructure, even the reluctant Netherlands will join," the security consultant said.
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