Hupac constructs its first intermodal terminal in Poland
Swiss intermodal operator Hupac has commenced a construction project of its reloading facility in Brwinów, close to Warsaw. It will be the first company’s intermodal terminal in Poland. The launch of operations is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022.
The works have been started in Brwinów, near Warsaw, in late March. Polish contractor Anna-Bud will construct a storage yard of 42,000 square metres, four transhipment tracks with a minimum length of 750 metres, and administrative buildings. The entire project covers an area of nearly 14 hectares.
Hupac will start the rail/road and rail/rail reloading operations at the terminal in the third quarter of 2022. Initially, the containers will be transhipped by reach stackers. For the future, the Swiss operator plans to deploy three more tracks and to install gantry cranes at the facility if the container traffic will significantly increase. According to the current technical documents, the maximum capacity of the Brwinów terminal is limited to 180,000 TEU per year.
Location and potential
Brwinów was chosen as the location for the future terminal due to several reasons: a good location near Warsaw, an excellent railway connection with a special industrial spur and direct access to the A2 motorway without the need to drive via cities and towns.
“The project aims to ensure the efficient movement of goods in Central and Eastern Europe, which in turn will facilitate intermodal rail transport between China/Russia and Europe. We see huge potential in the new terminal for the Polish market and as a new hub for long-haul routes between the Benelux and the Far East,” Irmtraut Tonndorf, Director Communications & Marketing at Hupac, commented to IntermodalNews.
Currently, Hupac does not possess its own terminals in Poland. To reload and deliver containers to the customers, the Swiss company uses several existing terminals owned by other operators: in Gądki near Poznań and Pruszków near Warsaw (Metrans), Kąty Wrocławskie (Schavemaker) and in Sławków near Katowice (CZH, PKP LHS, PKP Cargo).