Supporting Ukrainian export: Laude opens intermodal terminal in Zamość
On 23 June 2022, the official opening of a new terminal of Laude Smart Intermodal took place. Being located at the Zamość Bortatycze railway station on the Broad Gauge Metallurgy (LHS) Line in Poland, the facility can handle up to 10 trains a day.
The completed investment allowed increasing the throughput capacity of the terminal up to 15,000 TEU containers per year. This makes it possible to export a much larger volume of freight from Ukraine than before. The use of our own patented innovations in the construction of containers and rolling stock is the result of our multiannual experience and the strive to create modern transport and logistics solutions.
In the expansion of the terminal in Zamość, Laude Smart Intermodal invested almost 30 million zloty. This is another investment carried out in line with the company’s mission to create a new quality of logistics services and implement efficient and ecological solutions using the advantages of intermodal transport. It would not be possible without the effective acquisition of the EU subsidies. “Over the last 15 years, within the EU aid programmes, we have implemented 14 projects with a total value of over 436 million zloty, aimed at the development of container transport and other modern solutions increasing the competitiveness of rail transport,” emphasised Marcin Witczak, president of Laude Smart Intermodal.
Greater transhipment potential close to the border
The procurement proceeding for the construction works related to the expansion of the intermodal terminal at the Zamość Bortatycze railway station was announced in August 2020. Within this project, a new broad gauge track (with a width of 1520 millimetres), which will enable the unimpeded access of the container train to the terminal area, was installed from the west side, and a new standard gauge track (1435 millimetres wide) on the south side. The length of each track is 900 metres.
Sidings for standard- and broad-gauge wagons have also been lengthened and a dual gauge track, a combination of standard and broad gauge railways, has been built, which allows for easy removal of damaged containers for repairing. The extensive track system (over 6.4 kilometres in total) will enable the transhipment of containers from wide-gauge to standard-gauge wagons, increasing the efficiency of reloading work.
After the terminal expansion, the reloading capacity is 6-10 trains a day. The terminal is equipped with two 40-tonne overhead cranes and five reach stackers, whose task is to improve the train and truck traffic. The new yard allows storing 2,000 TEU containers. Moreover, several parking and manoeuvring yards were created. The total area of paved squares is 38,000 square metres. The third crane will be installed by the end of the current year.
Railway support for export from Ukraine
It is important that the investment coincided with the completion of works at the Zamość Majdan station carried out by PKP LHS. Among other things, there have been built five tracks with a total length of 6 kilometres and with turnouts equipped with modern railway traffic control devices, as well as a loading yard with an area of 14,000 square metres and an access road. The construction of the passing loop increases the capacity of the entire line.
“These investments make it possible to support Ukrainian export to European recipients. Actually, the only option today is the railway routes, especially the LHS line from the Polish-Ukrainian border to Sławków, as well as transhipment hinterland that can be provided by terminals located on railway lines connecting Poland and Ukraine, like ours in Zamość,” said president Marcin Witczak.
The current technical condition of the Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line (LHS) allows for running 12 pairs of trains a day. “With the current organisation of work at border crossings and transport on the LHS line, success would be the transport of 2 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine per month. The use of specialised containers for the transport of bulk cargo, which can be loaded, among others grain, would improve logistics, reducing costs and time necessary for handling at terminals. In the case of reloading at stations and terminals, where the track gauge changes, the total time for processing a train with open wagons is counted in days. Handling a container train is much faster. The Laude company is able to transport up to 4,000 tonnes in one train and in a combination with changing the organisation of traffic on the LHS line, can make the goal of grain export by rail from Ukraine fulfilled,” assured president Witczak, “We have been building our relations with clients from Ukraine since 2008.”