Electric trains with 'schwunganfahrt' on Combinant from 2026 21/03/25
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Electric trains from the end of 2026 with 'schwunganfahrt' on Combinant
By the end of 2026, the Combinant terminal in the port of Antwerp will be the first in the Benelux where electric trains can roll out in 'schwunganfahrt', without power, to the terminal. At the moment, a locomotive change is still taking place at Antwerp-Noord.
Rail network manager Infrabel is working on the electrification of line 11 and the entrance to the Combinant terminal. This should ensure that electric trains can drive to the terminal. “A power line hangs up to the entrance of the terminal, but it stops there. From then on, the electric locomotive lowers its pantagraph and rolls the train out to the end of the terminal and then brakes. There is no term for this in Dutch, but in Germany, where this operation has been in use for some time, it is called 'schwunganfahrt'”, explains Ben Beirnaert, managing director of Combinant.
After unloading and loading the train, a small BASF diesel locomotive pulls the train back under the electrical overhead line.
Advantages
Electric trains will only be able to 'roll out' at the terminal from the end of 2026. By then, the electrification of line 11 will be ready. "We will then be the first terminal in the Benelux where this is possible. The big advantage is that the train does not have to make a stopover in Antwerp-North to change locomotives. This saves time and relieves Antwerp-North. Until then, locomotives still have to be changed," Beirnaert concludes.
Author: Koen Heinen