HHLA and POLZUG inaugurate high-performance hinterland terminal in Poland

Port of Hamburg und Logistik AG (HHLA) and POLZUG have opened a new hinterland terminal near Katowice. The state-of-the-art facility brings the Southern Polish economic region of Silesia closer to the Port of Hamburg. This cargo handling terminal meets stringent European standards for terminals in intermodal traffic of the kind that HHLA has successfully implemented at its Hamburg base,for
example.

In taking into service the new hinterland terminal in Dąbrowa Górnicza near Katowice, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and POLZUG are reacting to the rising demand for container transport in one of Poland’s most important economic regions. The full-service facility meets the stringent European requirements for cargo handling terminals for intermodal traffic and eliminates bottlenecks in handling growing quantities of cargo. Moreover, planning measures for additional terminal projects in Poland are proceeding rapidly.

HHLA Intermodal Polska, a HHLA subsidiary, has invested around 10 million euros in building the new terminal. For HHLA Intermodal, the investment in the terminal in the Silesia region represents a logical step in the systematic expansion of its high-performance hinterland network in Central, Eastern and SE Europe. The tenant and operator at the terminal is rail operator POLZUG, a company jointly owned by PKP Cargo S.A. (Polish State Railways), DB Mobility Logistics AG and HHLA (each with 33.33 percent).

Dr. Sebastian Jürgens, HHLA Executive Board member for the Intermodal and Logistics segments:

“Our new hinterland terminal near Katowice brings Hamburg and Silesia closer together. Very soon we shall be installing a neutral hub in Poznan and doing even more for Poland. Our major target will then to be build up high-frequency shuttle train connections between Poland and the Port of Hamburg.”

Walter Schulze-Freyberg, Managing Director of POLZUG Intermodal:

“We bring HHLA’s high standards for its terminals to Silesia. An efficient terminal infrastructure in Poland is the key to the POLZUG success story. Only this will enable us to run the transport chain from all the ports of Northern Europe to the final destination and cater for constantly growing customer requirements. Our new facility at Katowice is also optimally networked with other terminals in Poland.”

Professor Juliusz Engelhardt, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure in Poland:

“The terminal opened today in Dąbrowa Gornicza is a systematic step on the way towards the dynamic development of intermodal transport in Poland and can serve as an example for future investments of this kind.”

The new terminal for intermodal traffic near Katowice offers all the services for which there is demand today from shipping companies and forwarders – extensive storage spaces for empty and loaded containers, for instance, as well as professional container delivery in door-to-door mode. One great advantage of the terminal consists of three rail sidings sufficiently long at 625 metres for complete block trains – meaning that container trains can be handled without having to be split up. That speeds up handling, reduces the effort required and hence costs.

The facility possesses extensive reserves of capacity, permitting annual throughput of up to 100,000 standard containers (TEU). Daily rail connections with the Northern European seaports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Rotterdam ensure an optimal link with overseas and short-sea services. The hinterland terminal has its own tractors and chassis for onward road transport of containers to the customer. “This facility represents a quantum leap in terms of technology, quality and service,” said POLZUG Managing Director Schulze-Freyberg.

The terminal was opened on 30 June 2010 in the presence of numerous guests from the transport industry, shipping and logistics, as well as guests of honour including Professor Juliusz Engelhardt, Poland’s Deputy Minister for Infrastructure in Poland, HHLA Executive Board members Dr. Sebastian Jürgens (Intermodal) and Dr. Roland Lappin (Finance), along with Wojciech Balczun, Chairman of the Executive Board of PKP Cargo, and Daniel Ryczek, PKP Cargo Executive Board member (Strategy and Intermodal Traffic).
(source:www.transportweekly.com)