Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel is allocating 200 million euros to strengthen the infrastructure for the transport of heavy military equipment, according to RTL info. The money will mainly be used to reinforce bridges, widen tunnels, and develop new tracks, particularly around the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.
The investment is in line with the European Union’s plans to strengthen military mobility within member states to better respond to the current security context. At the same time, it will also benefit civil freight transport, enabling larger freight to run on Belgian railways.
Russian threat
Due to Russia’s increased hybrid activities since its military aggression against Ukraine, the EU is strengthening coordination between member states, including the transport of heavy military convoys, to move a large number of troops and equipment through the Union more quickly.
In the context of cross-border military mobility, one of the absolute priorities of a strengthened European defense, Belgium’s central strategic location makes it a crucial link. Two of the four most important European military transport corridors run via the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge toward Poland and the Baltic states on the one hand, and southern Europe on the other.
Infrabel’s intention now is, among other things, to upgrade various bridges so that they can carry 150 tons, a NATO standard, and allow vehicles of 4.5 meters to pass underneath or through tunnels that are currently too narrow.
In this context, the Iron Rhine/3RX, the rail link between the port of Antwerp and the German Ruhr region via the Netherlands, is also essential for military mobility and for strengthening Belgian ports. Unfortunately, it remains blocked by the Netherlands and caught up in a tangle of political, environmental, and financial obstacles.
More concrete plans on how the 200 million euros will be invested have not yet been made public, and it is also unclear whether the 32 million euros in European subsidies allocated to Infrabel in 2023 to improve military rail transport in the Port of Antwerp are included in that amount.
‘Military Schengen’
Infrabel’s announced investments are therefore in line with the strategy to modernize and strengthen the EU’s logistics infrastructure. To improve mobility, the EU has identified 500 vulnerable points in its infrastructure and plans to invest 100 billion euros to optimize these networks.
One of the most striking proposals is a ‘Military Schengen,’ aimed at speeding up the deployment of armed forces and military equipment between member states. EU countries often still adopt additional rules specific to their countries.
Another mind-boggling example: if the US military wants to transport military equipment in the EU, Americans currently must apply to each European country they need to pass through. But the goal is to reduce transit approval from 45 days to just a few days. Starting next year, the EU is also planning military exercises to test this mobility infrastructure in practice.
For the period 2028-2034, the Commission has set aside 17.5 billion euros for military mobility, an amount that may still be adjusted during negotiations. This is 10 times the current EU contribution of 1.7 billion euros.
The Commission emphasizes that Member States can also draw on resources from the cohesion funds for investments in military mobility, as well as from the SAFE mechanism. However, the Member States and the European Parliament still must consider the proposal.
