Testing Times on the Betuwe Route

In the Netherlands, testing and certification of the complex 160 km Betuwe Route's infrastructure and the trains that will use it are challenges for Lloyd's Register Rail. The 4.55 billion Euro project was designed to be a dedicated freight corridor to move freight efficiently and quickly from Rotterdam to Germany's industrial heartland and beyond. The complexity of the project, which takes the Betuwe Route's use of the European Train Control System and 25 kV electrification into consideration, is discussed by the author. An insert outlines the operations of Lloyd's Register Rail.