Westerschelde Tunnel

What Westerschelde Tunnel does

N.V. Westerscheldetunnel is a Dutch infrastructure operator that owns and maintains two bored road tunnels on the N62 motorway in Zeeland, Netherlands — the 6.6 km Westerscheldetunnel (opened 14 March 2003, beneath the Westerschelde river between Borssele and Terneuzen) and the Sluiskiltunnel (opened 23 May 2015, beneath the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal). The company has been wholly owned by Province of Zeeland since 1 July 2009, employs 101–250 people, and operates from its headquarters and Toll Plaza at Tevixhoekweg 1, 4454 PD Borssele. The Westerscheldetunnel is the only fixed road crossing of the Scheldt River in Zeeland, with no alternative road route between Zuid-Beveland and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

The technology stack combines civil engineering with a 24/7 tunnel control room: each tube is monitored by camera surveillance and detection systems, emergency posts are placed every 50 metres (foam extinguisher, fire hose, emergency telephone), and cross-connection escape passages every 250 metres are equipped with overpressure fans, loudspeakers, and emergency lighting. The structure is built to withstand fire at 1,350 °C for two hours, a height-detection system with portal and in-road loop detectors automatically closes the tunnel if a vehicle over 4.30 m approaches, and Dynamic Route Information Panels (DRIPs) display real-time information. An RDS-based radio broadcast interruption system can override all stations receivable inside the tunnel, and adaptive cruise control warning signage mitigates automated braking incidents. Tunnel availability has run between 97.7% and 98.2% across reported years (2019, 2020, 2022).

The revenue model is anchored on per-passage tolling handled through an automated, seven-lane-each-direction toll plaza that accepts t-tag transponders, contactless bank/credit/fuel cards, smartphone/smartwatch, and staffed cash lanes. Since 30 December 2024, vehicles under three metres height (passenger categories 1, 2, and 5) pass free; only freight categories 3 (€18.20 standard / €11.00 t-tag) and 4 (€25.00 standard / €15.00 t-tag) pay tolls, with a frequent-user discount halving the rate from the 151st annual passage. The t-tag subscription is operated by wholly-owned subsidiary Movenience B.V., which also runs customer service. Total passage volume reached 10,144,667 in 2025 (+16% versus 2024), averaging over 27,000 passages per working day; the Sluiskiltunnel adds roughly 17,000 vehicles per day. The WSTVerkeer mobile app, X/Instagram/LinkedIn/Facebook channels, press releases, and the annual Nacht van de Tunnel public event handle outreach and incident communication.

Name

Westerschelde Tunnel

Legal name

N.V. Westerscheldetunnel

Website

https://westerscheldetunnel.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

N.V. Westerscheldetunnel operates and maintains the 6.6 km Westerscheldetunnel and the Sluiskiltunnel on the N62 in Zeeland, Netherlands. Wholly owned by Province of Zeeland, it runs the Borssele toll plaza and provides 24/7 traffic and incident management on the region's only fixed Scheldt crossing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Toll Road Infrastructure

NAICS

Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Services & Operations Outsourcing for Tolling/RUC Programs (TLAJABAL)

Keywords

• Toll road operations
• Tunnel infrastructure management
• Electronic toll collection
• Freight toll services
• Traffic management systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Borssele

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Toll fees from freight vehicles (categories 3 and 4): Vehicles higher than 3 metres (categories 3 and 4: trucks and buses) pay a toll for each passage through the Westerscheldetunnel. As of 30 December 2024, categories 1, 2, and 5 (lower than 3 metres: passenger cars and motorcycles) pass for free. Category 3 standard rate is €18.20 per passage (€11.00 standard per the rates table; €9.10 with t-tag). Category 4 standard rate is €25.00 (€15.00 with t-tag). Additionally, a Frequent User Discount gives 50% of the standard rate from the 151st passage onward per calendar year for t-tag/m-tag subscribers. The toll period was originally planned to last until 14 March 2033, but the tunnel was made partially toll-free earlier.
2. t-tag subscription service (via Movenience B.V.): Movenience B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of N.V. Westerscheldetunnel, manages t-tag subscriptions. The t-tag is a compact transponder device placed on vehicle windscreens that enables automatic toll scanning and payment without stopping. The t-tag itself is free to obtain; revenue is generated through toll transactions processed by the system. Movenience also handles customer service for the parent company.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

N.V. Westerscheldetunnel operates the 6.6-kilometre Westerscheldetunnel under the Westerschelde river and the Sluiskiltunnel under the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, both part of the N62 motorway in Zeeland, Netherlands. The company provides tunnel passage services with toll collection at its Toll Plaza in Borssele, offering multiple payment options including t-tag subscriptions, contactless cards, and cash, along with 24/7 traffic and safety management through its tunnel control room.

Product overview

N.V. Westerscheldetunnel operates a core infrastructure network consisting of the Westerscheldetunnel (6.6 km road tunnel under the Westerschelde river) and the Sluiskiltunnel (under the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal), both part of the N62 motorway. The company manages toll collection at its Toll Plaza (Tolplein) in Borssele for vehicles over 3 meters, with value-added services including the t-tag electronic payment device (managed by subsidiary Movenience) providing subscriber discounts, and the WSTVerkeer mobile app for real-time traffic information. Comprehensive safety systems include emergency posts, cross connections, 24/7 surveillance, and fire-resistant tunnel construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sluiskiltunnel: A tunnel managed by N.V. Westerscheldetunnel running underneath the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, also part of the N62 route. Opened May 23, 2015.
• t-tag
• WSTVerkeer

Products and services

• Westerscheldetunnel A 6.6-kilometre road tunnel running underneath the Westerschelde river, connecting Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Zuid-Beveland in Zeeland, Netherlands. Part of the N62 motorway with a 100 km/h speed limit. Features two separate tunnel tubes with emergency posts every 50 metres and cross connections every 250 metres, operated under 24/7 surveillance. The tunnel became partially toll-free for vehicles under 3 metres on December 30, 2024.
• Sluiskiltunnel A tunnel running underneath the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, also operated by N.V. Westerscheldetunnel. Toll-free tunnel on the same N62 route, approximately 200 metres south of the existing Sluiskil bridge. Handles approximately 17,000 vehicles per day on average.
• Toll Plaza (Tolplein) Toll collection facility in Borssele with seven lanes in each direction. Handles toll payment for vehicles higher than 3 metres (categories 3 and 4). Offers multiple payment methods including t-tag, contactless card payments, credit cards, fuel cards, smartphone/smartwatch payments, and cash during operating hours. Lane 7 specifically designed for large transport vehicles with 4.5-metre lane width.
• t-tag Electronic Toll Collection A compact electronic device mounted on vehicle windscreens that enables automatic toll payment at dedicated t-tag lanes. Provides discounted toll rates for subscribers, with a free device and additional frequent-user discounts after 150 passages per year. Managed by wholly-owned subsidiary Movenience B.V. Category 3 t-tag rate €11.00 (€9.10 frequent user); Category 4 t-tag rate €15.00 (€12.50 frequent user).

Quantifiable outcome

• 97.8% tunnel availability (2019), 97.7% (2020), 98.2% (2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Movenience B.V.coreTechnology or IntegrationMovenience B.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of N.V. Westerscheldetunnel, based in Goes (at the Tolplein headquarters). It manages t-tag subscriptions and processes t-tag toll transactions. Movenience also handles all customer service operations for the parent company. Applications can be submitted online at movenience.nl, by email to [email protected], or by phone at 0900-4488666 (domestic) or +31 113 760001 (international). Customer service is available weekdays 08:00–17:00.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Transurban: Large publicly-listed toll road and tunnel operator across Australia, North America, and Europe. Comparable infrastructure-tolling business model, especially for its tunnel concessions (e.g., Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel), and represents a benchmark for institutional infrastructure-asset valuation.
• ASFINAG: Austrian state-owned motorway and tunnel operator, wholly owned by the Republic of Austria. Directly comparable as a publicly-owned, concession-based tunnel and motorway operator relying on vignettes and tolling — a useful analogue for a government-owned infrastructure entity like N.V. Westerscheldetunnel.
• Atlantia (now Mundys / Abertis parent): Global toll motorway operator with concessions across Italy, Brazil, Chile, France, Spain and the US. Comparable infrastructure-asset / concession model with traffic-based toll revenue; relevant benchmark for franchise-style economics and political-risk exposure of toll concession holders.
• Abertis: One of the world's largest toll road operators with motorway and tunnel concessions in Europe and the Americas. Comparable long-duration, regulated toll-asset business model with focus on traffic-volume-driven revenue.
• Getlink (Eurotunnel / Channel Tunnel): Listed operator of the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France, providing fixed road and rail crossing under a long-term concession. Larger and more diversified (rail freight, passenger vehicles, electricity interconnector), but shares the structural-monopoly-tunnel business model with per-passage tolling.
• Brisa Concessão Rodoviária: Largest Portuguese toll motorway concessionaire operating motorways and tunnels under long-term concession with the Portuguese state. Comparable regulated toll infrastructure model with heavy-vehicle toll revenue concentration and traffic-volume-linked economics.

Direct peers

• Coentunnel Company (CTC): Public-private partnership operating the Coentunnel road tunnel in Amsterdam under a long-term concession with the Dutch state. Closely comparable PPP toll-tunnel operating model, Dutch regulatory setting, and per-passage tolling mechanics for trucks and cars.
• Liefkenshoektunnel: Road tunnel under the Scheldt near Antwerp, Belgium, operating as a competing fixed crossing of the same river system. Operates under a PPP concession with tolling on a similar heavy-vehicle focus, making it the closest geographic and business-model comparable to the Westerscheldetunnel.
• Kiltunnel: Road tunnel in Dordrecht, Netherlands, operating as a tolled fixed river crossing. Similar asset type (immersed/bored tunnel under waterway with dedicated toll plaza), similar Dutch regulatory environment, and similar reliance on heavy-vehicle toll-paying customers.

Regional players

• Westerschelde Ferry: Direct alternative crossing of the Westerschelde between Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Zuid-Beveland (Vlissingen-Breskens). Although a ferry rather than a tunnel, it serves the same origin-destination pair and competes with the tunnel for passengers, cyclists, and slower freight, providing a useful demand-substitution benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westerscheldetunnel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westerscheldetunnel
• Instagraminstagram.com/westerscheldetunnel
• Xx.com/WSTVerkeer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westerschelde Tunnel