Clean Transport

Fast and sustainable connectivity and mobility

Economically strong regions require good accessibility and links to and from other European regions. At the same time, they need to address environmental and sustainability issues, such as noise reduction and reduction of CO2 and particulate emissions. That is why the province of Zuid-Holland has set reliable and clean transport of both goods and people as one of its priorities for the coming years.

Making Zuid-Holland more competitive

Good accessibility is vital to strengthening the competitiveness of Zuid-Holland and promoting economic growth. Goods from the port and its logistical and trading hubs need to be transported in the most efficient, cleanest and fastest possible way to wider Europe and vice versa. The further development of the corridors to the east (Betuwe Rail Link and the Lek and Rhine Rivers) and the south (via Noord-Brabant, Limburg, Belgium to the Mediterranean) is an important part of this ambition. Therefore, Zuid-Holland is a member of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Rhine-Alpine (EGTC), founded to represent regional interests in the development of the corridor between Rotterdam and Genoa, to develop joint projects, to share knowledge and to represent the regions in the formation of the European corridor.

Innovation in sustainable transport technology

Though Zuid-Holland already has high-quality regional networks for freight transport, passenger transport and public transport, it is lagging behind competing regions in the field of passenger traffic. For this reason, the province aims to tackle infrastructure bottlenecks, improve traffic safety and to construct the already planned infrastructure.

The province is seeking cooperation with businesses and knowledge institutes in order to create smart and innovative public transport solutions. Zuid-Holland is looking for funding for specific projects, for example projects that deal with what is often referred to as ‘the first and last mile’: the short first or last part of a commute that tends to take a relatively long time compared to the major part of the commute. Finally, opportunities are being explored for a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) Urban Mobility that would help to search for smart and innovative solutions for sustainable urban mobility.

Transition to clean and smart transport

Zuid-Holland is involved in projects that aim to make inland shipping and public transport more sustainable and to create sustainable infrastructure: the CLINSH project, the RH2INE program hydrogen buses and the N59 Energy Highway.

Sustainable inland shipping: CLINSH

Achieving cleaner transport to improve the air and environmental quality around ports and waterways is an urgent matter. Efforts to clean up the inland shipping sector are now under way with the CLean INland SHipping (CLINSH) project. Within this project, Zuid-Holland joins Dutch, Belgian, German and British partners to make inland waterway shipping cleaner over the next four years. The province is lead partner in the project, set up to show that emission levels on inland waterways can be reduced, by testing innovative technologies, alternative fuels and the ‘walstroom’ shore-side electricity supply system.

Hydrogen for inland shipping: RH2INE

Hydrogen will be an integral part of the future economy. It is one of the sustainable solutions for cleaner transport by road and by water. Within the network of RH2INE (Rhine Integration Network of Excellence) we are working on innovative zero-emission solutions for inland navigation. Hydrogen allows us to promote climate protection goals and economy at the same time. Within RH2INE we are developing the first European hydrogen freight corridor for inland shipping, setting the standard for Europe. RH2INE aims to have 12 hydrogen-powered vessels operating between the ports of Rotterdam and Cologne by 2024: a first step towards a zero-emission transport corridor by 2050, the ultimate goal. The province Zuid-Holland and the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia are initiators of this network. It consists of hydrogen producers, distributors, inland shipping captains, ports and knowledge institutes. Cooperation within the entire value chain (from producers to distributors and customers) is essential to enable the use of sustainable hydrogen as a propellant. Nearly 30 parties are now connected. To make a start the province, NRW, Port of Rotterdam, Duisport and RheinCargo are having 4 studies done (Kickstart Study) in 2021. This RH2INE Kickstart Study is made possible by the help of European funding (CEF Transport): scenario building, safety and regulation analysis, design and location study. The results form the building blocks for the next phase, the investment phase. Private parties can use them to make smarter investment decisions. RH2INE contributes directly to the national climate ambitions and the European Green Deal. Please contact us if you are interested in one of the reports of this Kickstart Study. Project leader: Bas Kelderman b.kelderman@pzh.nl If you wish more overall information please contact program manager Lilian Froitzheim-Leijs, l.froitzheim@pzh.nl.

Sustainable public transport: hydrogen buses

Investments in intelligent (public transport) networks can reduce emissions of particulate matter and noise, improving the urban quality of life. Innovative forms of public transport, such as the small-scale use of hydrogen buses, can also be introduced in rural areas. Buses that run on (green) hydrogen do not emit any harmful substances. Therefore 24 of the first 54 hydrogen buses in the Netherlands will soon be driving in South Holland. The first 4 hydrogen buses are already running on the R-net connection from Rotterdam Zuidplein to Dirksland. The other 20 buses will run from the 2022 timetable in Hoeksche Waard – Goeree-Overflakkee. Just like petrol and diesel, hydrogen is also refueled. That is why we are building a hydrogen filling station in Heinenoord that is scheduled to be ready by the end of this year. The buses are part of the JIVE and JIVE 2 projects and are funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.

SMART-HY-AWARE

After the effort the province put in shipping (RH2INE) and public transportation (3Emotion and JIVE2) on hydrogen, she wants to explore the possiblities for hydrogen in other modalites of transportation as well. Therefore the province also participates in SMART HY AWARE.  This interreg project aims to promote hydrogen-electric mobility by tackling main infrastructural, technological (range anxiety related) and market uptake barriers related to hydrogen for electro-mobility through the improvement of political instruments linked to Structural Funds in Europe. The actions of each partner may vary and may depend upon the situation of that specific partner or city. Partners may for example exploite the whole supply chain, improve regional and local strategies  or increase the deployment and the accessibility to refuelling infrastructure. The province of Zuid-Holland want to use this project to investigate the possibilities to link hydrogen to road transport.

The partners of the province in SMART HY AWARE are:

• Government of Aragón - Development Agency of Aragón (Spain)
• Lazio Region (Italy)
• Municipality of Delphi (Greece)
• Aberdeen City Council (United Kingdom)
• Pannon Business Network Association (Hungary)

Sustainable infrastructure: the N59 Energy Highway

Pairing sustainability with efficiency and safety, the N59 road that runs through the municipalities of Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen-Duiveland will be transformed into an energy-neutral road. In this project, Zuid-Holland, the neighbouring province of Zeeland, local municipalities and businesses have teamed up. The N59 is of the utmost importance for the economic development of Goeree-Overflakkee and Zeeland and therefore needs to be a well-functioning part of the infrastructure in that area. Given the national and local ambitions for energy-neutrality, the transformation of the N59 will be an example of creating sustainable, efficient and safe infrastructure.