Multidisciplinary Projects

Antwerp-Dam: old railway yard to become new city park (Belgium)

In the Railway North region, the City of Antwerp is planning a large scale upgrading of the districts of Antwerp Dam, Seefhoek and Stuivenberg. The Antwerp Dam railway yard that has fallen into disuse is located in the centre of this area. In order to convert the old, decrepit railway yard into a contemporary, sustainable and extended urban landscape park, the area had to first be remediated. Following the procurement process, DEC was the one who was awarded the remediation contract in July 2005.

The area of the former railway yard is 24 hectares in size and is owned by the National Society of Belgian Railways (NMBS). Separated by the Viaduct Dam, the area is divided into the zones “East” and “West”. Soil and groundwater remediation and removal of the ashes present were performed on both halves of the area. In all, more than 100,000 cubic metres of ash and 50,000 tonnes of contaminated soil were removed from the site.

The project started in early September 2005, and comprised a total turnover of 6.4 million euros. The work was performed for NMBS Holding under the supervision of TUC-RAIL. DEC succeeded in completing the remediation within the planned period of one year. The treatment of the groundwater is expected to continue until 2011.

The rezoning of the vacated railway yard was determined based on a citizen survey in 1999, that demonstrated the desire for green, light and space. The adjacent districts are extremely densely built (only 1 in 8 homes has outdoor space). After thorough research, internal debate and negotiations with the NMBS, the City of Antwerp opted for an urban landscape park.