Metrans installs new gantry cranes at major terminals in Central Europe
Czech intermodal operator Metrans is working on enhancing the performance of its key terminals in Central Europe. The company successfully launched a new rail gantry crane at the transhipment site in Slovakia. By the year’s end, two more facilities, one in Czechia and another in Hungary, will also receive the new gantry cranes.
In the second half of April 2022, Metrans, a rail freight subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), installed the fourth gantry crane at its intermodal terminal in Dunajská Streda. The new lifting machine was supplied by Künz, the Austria-based crane manufacturer. Being able to carry up to 37 tonnes, the vehicle moves at a terminal at a speed of 45–120 metres per minute. Its lifting speed is 18 metres per minute under full load while the crane’s rotating trolley has a travel speed of 60-100 metres per minute. Moreover, the gantry crane is equipped with state-of-the-art information systems for safe and accurate container transhipment and modern LED lighting.
By the year’s end, two other Metrans terminals in Budapest (Hungary) and Česká Třebová (Czechia) will also receive new gantry cranes. “With the new technology, METRANS is preparing for the continued increase in rail transport, especially in the markets in Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria. On the one hand, we are increasing the terminals’ performance – their throughput capacity and their potential to manage higher peak loads. On the other hand, we are also bolstering our entire 19-terminal intermodal network,” said Peter Kiss, CEO of Metrans.