For now, freight trains running on the Szczecin – Trzebież line deliver their goods at the Police Chemia station. That station is not directly connected to the port however, and according to Polish media, a link to the port has been long-awaited. Already in 2021 there were plans to build a rail connection to the port.

The Police port: fourth largest in Poland

The Police port had a transshipment rate of 2 million tonnes of goods annually as of 2021, with an expected growth of 500,000 tonnes yearly at the time. It is the fourth largest port in Poland, and the largest one without a direct rail connection. Poland expects the investment to be completed by 2027.

The Port of Aktau is located on the Caspian Sea coast. It is part of both the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Middle Corridor. For that reason, it is a strategically important asset for Kazakhstan, which seeks to become a leading freight transit country.

Moreover, Chinese company CRRC will be supplying 200 new locomotives to KTZ as part of the investment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping already hinted at both investments at a BRI cooperation forum in October 2023.

Also read:

• China, Belarus and Kazakhstan to build terminal on Belarusian-Polish border
• Kazakhstan considering the privatisation of Kazakh Railways
• Nurminen Logistics and Kazakhstan eye joint Middle Corridor investments

Only a few ports can afford to be only a transshipment hub

Intermodal links are very important for practically all European ports, Landa says. “There are only a few ports that can afford to be only a transshipment hub, and that is mostly only because they do not have a noteworthy hinterland. You can have the best terminal in the world, but without a good hinterland network of roads and rails, you are going to have containers dwelling over your terminal and that is not what you want.”

“However, the industry is also struggling a little bit as I see it”, he continues. The vessels are getting larger and consequently terminals are getting larger. The industry is subject to change. It is not uncommon for a vessel to have five to ten thousand containers onboard. These need to be discharged and the same number of containers needs to be reloaded. Moreover, these containers need to depart.”

All parties need to be efficient

It is this challenge that drives ports and terminals to increase their level of efficiency. The ports want to discharge these containers as fast and efficiently as possible, Landa explains. Large European ports are indeed impressive in handling the large-scale operations, especially with the digitalisation of these operations that has taken place over the last years. But how well capable is the rail freight industry to adapt to these changes?

That is the crux of the matter, if you ask Landa. “We can be super efficient in the port, but if not all actors in the chain are efficient, we will be suboptimal in what we do. Therefore, we should work together to fight these inefficiencies. If we know that e train arrives at the port at a certain time, we can also make sure that the ship is ready to be unloaded and reloaded for the train to start its return journey right away. If this works out, it can be easy.”

What is in it for rail?

But all these large numbers and fast handling times, are these good news for rail? In the end, a train can take a limited number of containers and even though longer trains are making an entrance, this scale increase is not at all happening at the same pace as that in the maritime industry. Moreover, the rail industry is not known for its reliability.

Yet, the advantage of efficiency is certainly a shared one, argues Landa. “Rail operators for example have expensive rail sets and high costs involved with running a train. You want to use these assets as efficiently as possible. All parties want for a train to leave the terminal as soon as possible.”

Ports pushing infrastructure managers

Hinterland infrastructure plays a great role in this as well, the HHLA professional says. In Europe port terminals are well aware of the need to serve their hinterland. They are as efficient as they can be. But often, they are pushing hinterland infrastructure providers to make sure the railway links are there to allow the ports to grow.”

“In the end, we all work for the same customers”, Landa concludes. We are working in the service industry. Customers demand efficiency. This is the name of the game. We need to provide according to the customer’s needs. If we don’t, they will use another port, terminal or railway network.

Join the discussion

We would like to hear your opinion on this topic. You can give comments on the following question below:

Do you achieve better performance as a port when hinterland connections and terminal operations are managed within the same company?

Do you want to join the discussion in real life? Join us at the RailFreight Connects summit on 6 & 7 September in Bremen. Tickets are still available here.

Watch the webinar

Dominik Landa shared his views during a recent webinar held in the run-up to RailFreight Connects. You can watch this webinar free of charge below.

Bremerhaven seaport is is one of the two ‘twin ports’ of Bremen, together forming the Bremen Ports. In Bremerhaven seaport, three railway companies are currently active as shunting service providers for the last mile to the terminals and back. DB Cargo AG, Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser GmbH (evb) and FLEX Bahndienstleistungen GmbH are currently using up to 15 shunting locomotives, previously powered by diesel. They are in use 24 hours a day, 360 days a year and each consumed around 80,000 liters of diesel per year. By switching to HVO, emissions are greatly reduced: compared to conventional diesel, HVO causes around 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The biofuel is made from biological residues and waste, and has no fossil origin.

For reducing emissions in the port, a joint project called “Climate and emission protection on the last mile in rail freight transport” was set up with the participation of the Bremen Senator for Science and Ports, DB Energie GmbH and the shunting service providers DB Cargo AG and evb. The framework conditions for the conversion to HVO were also clarified. The changeover would not succeed entirely without adjustments to the vehicles and, in particular, to the rail filling station. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen supports the companies within the scope of a subsidy of 200,000 euros.

Claudia Schilling, Bremen Senator for Science and Ports: “In Bremerhaven, we are the first major seaport in Europe to end the use of diesel for transports on the ‘last mile’ in rail freight transport and make the already environmentally and climate-friendly mode of rail transport even greener. We also want to be a role model for other ports and hinterland terminals in terms of climate protection and show how this alternative fuel can significantly reduce emissions immediately. From today on, Bremerhaven not only offers a high-performance connection by rail, but at the same time the most sustainable and climate-friendly logistics chains to the German and European hinterland.”

This article was originally published on RailTech, our sister publication.

Tourist attraction attracting record trade

Savannah, coastal Georgia, is a modest settlement comparable to Dundee, Birkenhead or Newport. It is a lovely city with plenty for which it is recommended – but maybe not at the top of the tourist trail has been the freight harbour. At least until now. Project Mega Rail has changed all that.

The bustling port puts all those UK compatriots into the shade in terms of throughput. Breaking its own intermodal record, the Port of Savannah handled just over 504,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in October, an increase of 8,7 per cent, year on year, and 6,000 TEUs up on March of this year, the port’s previous busiest month.

Mason Mega Rail Yard

All that additional traffic has not come without congestion issues, which the Georgia Port Authority is tackling head-on, with a massive investment in rail freight handling. While North American logistics may be epitomised by the trucks that ply the highways and freeways, the impressive rail freight operations move mega-tonnages around the continent. To that end, Savannah has gone large on rail freight infrastructure investment.

“The massive new Mason Mega Rail Yard is coming online at the perfect time to help address the influx of cargo crossing the docks at the Port of Savannah,” said the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, at an opening ceremony, filled with all the pomp and circumstance of an Elgar concert, reflecting the economic importance of the project. “The added rail capacity, along with new container storage on and off terminal, are already serving as important tools to resolve the supply chain issues for Georgia and the nation”, he said.

Inland answer to long-dwell boxes

Emphasising the scale of rail freight operations in continental North America, the expanded terminal can handle 10,000-foot long trains. That’s 3048 metres in length – or the best part of four European intermodal trains. What’s more, the terminal can receive six of them – simultaneously, according to the Georgia Port Authority. That, though, is just the front of house operations. Backstage, there is a whole supporting cast at work.

“We’re setting up multiple inland locations that will be connected via truck or rail to the Port of Savannah,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “We’re working with both CSX and Norfolk Southern [the port’s ‘class one’ rail freight partners] to provide inland and off-dock locations to move these long-dwell imports off the facility. We think this will make a huge difference for both importers and exporters as we clear out our yard.”

Speed up vessel service

President Joe Biden recently committed the USA to a radical programme of improvement in rail freight infrastructure. In that spirit, the Georgia Port Authority South Atlantic Supply Chain Relief Program – of which Savannah operations are a spearhead – is funded in part by reallocated federal dollars. That investment will see overhauls for Norfolk Southern’s Dillard Yard in Garden City and the CSX Hulsey Yard in Atlanta.

“This is the relief we needed to regain terminal efficiency and speed up vessel service,” said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. “By reclaiming this space on the terminal, we can begin to reduce the backlog of vessels at anchor. This groundbreaking partnership between cargo owners and logistics providers should serve as a model for the entire nation as we work to address supply chain challenges.”

Savannah may well far outstrip its Old Country compatriots for the adoption of rail freight capacity. However, if the UK government’s mandated targets for modal shift are to be met. The doubling of rail freight capacity in the UK will mean investments on the scale of Savannah will be needed and needed in places like Dundee, Birkenhead and Newport. The scenery may be different in British ports. Still, the scenario is similar to that faced in the cobbled streets and bougainvillaea-blossomed avenues of the southern belle city.

FS Italiane Group is at the forefront the goal of improving Ligurian mobility and to bring Genoa and the Mediterranean closer to the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the North Sea. Infrastructure upgrades by its subsidiary RFI will connect the Ligurian capital to the European TEN-T Rhine-Alpine Corridor and increase international rail freight as well as passenger traffic in the region.

This major European corridor is about 3,900 kilometers long and crosses five countries: Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. FS Group, led by the CEO Gianfranco Battisti, has invested 13.381 billion euros (9.856 already financed by the 2018-2019 program contract of the RFI) for the infrastructures of the Genoa hub and of the whole of Liguria, which will be largely completed by 2024.

“Many difficulties are overcome and those still to be overcome will allow Genoa to be confirmed as the first logistic center in the country and among the most important in Europe”, says FS group.

How the infrastructure will be expanded

The completion of the so-called ‘Progetto Unico’ (Unique Project) will make it possible to streamline the flows of regional and long-distance trains in the Genoa area. This project in itself is worth 6.8 billion euros. The ongoing interventions will lead to the creation of a single urban area, connecting each line of the triangle Genoa, Milan and Turin within a maximum of one hour. The interventions between Tortona and Voghera and between Pavia and Milan Rogoredo will be quadrupled, and the entire Milan – Genoa line will be sped-up with upgrading of both the infrastructure and traffic control technologies.

In the region where FS Group manages 493 kilometers of tracks with RFI (of which 97 percent electrified and 79 percent remote-controlled) and 103 stations, many benefits are expected. The Liguria Region has estimated that for the approximately 1.6 million Ligurian citizens, there will be a potential increase of 20 medium and long distance trains per day and more than 60 regional trains (an increase of 43 percent daily trains) in the Genoa node.

Separate high-speed line

The Progetto Unico includes works on the new Genoa-Milan High-Speed line Terzo Valico, those of the port areas and the upgrading of the node, will put Genoa and the Mediterranean in a position to be increasingly connected to Europe. The construction of the new high-speed line is currently halfway. This ensures the connection of last mile between the Terzo Valico and the historic port and allows the separation of traffic flows between the regional and long-distance trains, thus eliminating bottlenecks.

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The Genoa node

To achieve these objectives, the FS Group is working on doubling the existing tracks (quadrupling) between Genoa Voltri and Sampierdarena with a total of 4 tracks, 2 of which for metropolitan and regional traffic; the other two will be intended for medium and long-distance trains and will allow direct connection to the Terzo Valico dei Giovi for freight trains originating or destined for the Port of Genoa Pra ‘Mare . As of 23 April 2021, the excavation of the Polcevera tunnel is underway and the first phase of upgrading the Pra ‘Mare freight bundle has already been completed with the construction of another 2 new tracks (for a total of 6 tracks) and the doubling of the entrance track to the PSA International terminal.

RFI is also working on two new tracks in addition to the four existing ones (sixfold), which will bring the tracks between Genoa Principe and Brignole to six. The two new tracks connecting the underground station of Genova Principe and that of Genova Brignole will be obtained with the extension of the existing Colombo and S. Tomaso tunnels and with the partial reuse of the disused Galleria delle Grazie.

The two new tracks will allow the improvement in terms of regularity and punctuality of the connections between the two main stations of Genoa, increasing the current infrastructural capacity with two tunnels, the Traversata Vecchia and Nuova tunnel. As of April 23, 2021, excavation works are underway for the extension of the S. Tomaso and C. Colombo tunnels.

More freight trains

The infrastructure upgrades are also good news for rail freight traffic. The interventions should lead to an increase of 80 trains per day from 2024, an increase of 49 percent of trains per day. This development is fully in line with the EU Mobility Strategy, which calls for a progressive transfer of goods from road to rail by 30 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050.

According to data released by the Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea, the ports of Liguria move a total of 50 percent of the containers at national level and more than 35 percent of the freight trains originate from the ports of Liguria itself. Numbers are destined to increase especially for the Port of Genoa where the creation of a new breakwater (outer dam) is planned to start January 2022. This will allow the interception of large container ships of an average length of 400 meters and a capacity that can reach 24 thousand TEU containers.

New tracks to accomodate the growth

According to the forecasts of the same Authority, the development of the Port of Genoa will lead to a progressive increase in container traffic of 100-150 percent and a possible increase of 40 percent of the share of rail freight. A development possible only if the Campasso port, the “lung that makes the port terminal breathe”, is adequately strengthened. RFI is already working on this with the construction of 8 new tracks with a length of 750 meters for the arrival and departure of trains.

Another major intervention involves the restoration of the connection between Bivio Fegino and Parco Rugna in the port area, 5 kilometers of double track through the Scalo Campasso. Preparatory works for the construction of the section and those in the section north of Campasso will soon be started, which will be joined by the future new Genoa metro line between Brin and Canepari.

Airport and sea port logistics

The renewal and enhancement of the Fuori Muro railway yard will constitute a further important piece in the overall infrastructural upgrading at the service of Ligurian ports and logistics. The airport, with 7 tracks, 5 of which at least 750 meters long, will together with those of Voltri / Prà and Campasso, be the third place suitable for the composition and online forwarding of long trains to European standard. This contributes to the achievement of the modal shift from road to rail, a primary objective for Ligurian ports and the country’s logistics.

The depot is provided by Vlaeynatie, which operates the 30,000m² container terminal 3MCT in Terneuzen. At 3MCT, every day barges load and unload containers from or to all major container terminals in Antwerp and Rotterdam. Trains connect the terminal with Antwerp as the central hub in MSC’s European network, and Zeebrugge. RailFreight Live went there to see where all this interest was coming from.

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You can watch the report here. Or, you can complete reading the article below the video.

More services

“For our containers, we now have two regular trains departing to Antwerp Deepsea Terminal, and we have a direct link with MSC home terminals in Antwerp. We bring import containers and empty containers from this home terminal to Westdorpe”, said van den Broeck, when we visited him at his terminal.

“Starting from August, we will have three train connections between these points, and we want to further increase this frequency, as we have further possibilities, not limited to this deepsea terminal. Since the news that we are to facilitate MSC with a depot, we have had other shipping companies on the line, asking us if we are ready to come up with similar arrangements with them. We are waiting, and have the means to make rail more favourable.”

Lower prices

If you ask the CEO, more trains means more efficiency and perhaps lower prices. The company has always been an advocate of rail, and it would like to see the volumes grow, he explains. But what could help is establishing the missing link: the railway connection between the Axelse Vlakte in the Netherlands and the Belgian town Zelzate on the east bank of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal.

Currently, rail traffic runs via the west bank. If it wants to move in the other direction, it needs to make a complete loop. What is more, trains need to cross the Sluiskil bridge, which is open to allow for the passage of ships several times of the day. This forms a major bottleneck.

“Establishing this railway connection would make the railway connection much simpler”, said van den Broeck. “For us in concrete terms, this would mean that we can promote rail freight among our customers towards a better service, facilitate higher volumes, and that the price becomes more competitive with barge and other transport modes.”

Still waiting approval

End of February, Belgium, Flanders, and the Netherlands signed a letter of intent to improve the railway connection Ghent-Terneuzen. Earlier, in June 2020, the Belgian federal parliament approved this plan. The missing link is one of the possible projects. However, despite all political will its realisation is far from secure, and far from happening tomorrow.

“Three projects have been proposed in order to improve the railway connection Ghent-Terneuzen”, explained Hans de Meij, project leader at the port. “Apart from the missing link, the plan includes a new south-east curve in the track east of the Sluiskil bridge, and an extension and opening up to the north of the rail bundle at the Kluizendok ( ‘Zandeken’). We could realise all of these projects, or only one. This is something that is still unknown.”

The parties involved are currently investigating all of the possible options. “We are taking our time, it could take 4 to 5 years before we decide which element we want to build. Then, we will start the works. It is also at that point that we will apply for European funding for this project.”

Finally get a green light

In an interview with Spoorpro TV last year (in Dutch), director of the North Sea Port Jan Lagasse pointed out that the plans for a better rail connection between Ghent and Terneuzen have been on the shelves for years, but never materialised. The first plans for the rail project date back to 1968, but after that it remained silent for decades. When the director started at Sealand Seaports in 2014, he managed to get the rail project on the agenda again. “This rail project is actually a kind of Loch Ness monster that reappears every so many years”, he jokingly said.

Belgium/Flanders and the Netherlands have now committed to invest two million each to develop the Ghent-Terneuzen canal zone. They hope that EU support will not be missing from their endeavour. “We have expressed our wish for the construction of the missing link, and I think this has also been declared to the European Commission, said van den Broeck. “I hope we will finally get a green light.”

The objective of the project is to electrify all railway connections, develop new incoming and outgoing railway tracks and construct a new connection between the port and the stations of Praias-Sado and Setubal Mar. As a result, operative costs will be reduced, cargo traffic increased and new, efficient multimodal logistics trends will be developed. Railway connections to the port terminals of Tersado, Sadoport and Somincor are considered.

Important port

The project has a budget of 395 thousand Euros and preliminary studies are carried out by Consortium CGQP, formed by engineering firm Quadrante and consultant Prospectiva.

The Portuguese government wants to improve competitiveness of the port, which is a key hub for Lisbon and a main gate for primary sector exports from the Spanish region of Extremadura. The port of Setubal witnessed traffic volumes of 6.98 million tonnes and 156,567 TEUs in 2016, according to data provided by the Port Authority.

The increase of capacity was announced by the General Manager of the Port of Santander Jaime González and Commercial Director of rail operator Renfe Alejandro Huerto at a press conference in Santander.

Change of port

Traditionally, the station of Mataporquera has been a logistics hub for the transport of coal from the Spanish provinces of Asturias and Leon to the port of Santander, the main export gate for this product. The railway connects to the line between Irun (Spain) and Hendaye (France) and is essential in adapting cargo trains from Spanish rail gauge to the European one.

However, closures of Spanish coal mines have led to a change in the layout of the port in order to attract new traffic. Railway cargo services for coal are still important, but the automotive industry in Castile and Leon demands other services to carry vehicles to the port. Following this trend, the port combines has added ro-ro tracks between Santander and ports of Portugal, Great Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In December last year the port on the east coast signed an agreement with shipping agent and logistics company The Armitt for the construction of a purpose-built, 120,000 square feet (11,148 square meters) steel handling facility at the Kent port. The first phase of the project included the completion of a 60,000 square feet (5574 square meters) facility. The project is expected to be completed in 2018.

New supply chain corridor

The deepwater facility of Thamesport not only has a good rail network to London, the South East, the Midlands and North West, but also has the potential to form a new supply chain corridor to service the European and Far Eastern steel logistics markets. “As it is on the east coast, any cargo coming up through the Suez Canal will come past my front door. Virtually every ship that comes to the UK is going onwards to the Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam range in ballast”, Nicholas Marshall, Armitt’s commercial director, said in Breakbulk.

Specialised in the handling of breakbulk cargo, he added that pure container facilities are unable to offer the same services to the industry as a dedicated multipurpose terminal, due to the required speed, efficiency, logistics, experience and specialty. With the redevelopment of London Thamesport into a deepwater breakbulk facility, it is now the closest in the UK-to-northern European market. Armitt plans to develop similar multimodal facilities in the Midlands and North of the UK within the next two years.