This paper presents a study on the impact of investment in the Betuweroute and alternative transport
pricing schemes on port competition between Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp. The Betuweroute is a
160 kilometre dedicated freight railway line connecting the port of Rotterdam with the German Ruhr area.
If the line could, in the near or more remote future, attract a large share of transit freight, it will be of
considerable importance for the competitive position of the port of Rotterdam relative to Hamburg and
Antwerp. We use a transport network model that includes the three ports and allows for transport by road,
rail and inland waterways to and from the Ruhr area. We run model simulations for scenario’s with and
without the Betuweroute and with and without marginal social cost pricing. The results show that,
although the Betuweroute is a welfare reducing investment, it may indeed be of crucial importance to the
port of Rotterdam.
