The expansion of the CLIP Intermodal Container Terminal in Swarzędz is completed!
In less than 12 months, MegaHab Intermodal CLIP Terminal has become one of the largest and most modern inland terminals in Poland. The expansion of the reloading tracks from 4 to 8 and the increase in the capacity of the plate for storing intermodal units allows for the handling of as many as 20 trains in one day. As part of the investment, a number of pioneering solutions and spectacular amounts of steel or concrete were used.
The investment in Swarzędz consisted of two stages. The works under the second stage, i.e., the expansion of the track system and the construction of an intermediate storage area, were carried out by a consortium of companies from the NDI Group, with the main participation of NDI Energy.
-We have completed the construction of four new crane rail tracks. As part of the expansion of the track surface, we built almost 7 km of new railway tracks with accompanying works. We have also built 15 turnouts and 2 railway scales – says Marta Springer, project manager from the NDI Group. – New railway tracks have also been electrified. As part of the expansion of the overhead contact line, we have built over 100 support structures of the overhead line. Our task was also to expand an intermediate storage area for containers.
Interestingly, a reinforced concrete intermediate storage area with an area of over 28 thousand m2 was completed in just three months. Its size can be compared to three football fields.
-When making the area, we reinforced it during the day, but due to high temperatures, we concreted it at night – says Łukasz Baumgart, works manager from the NDI Group. – The biggest challenge, however, was to reconcile the construction works with the uninterrupted operation of the terminal. And that meant using every time gap spare, i.e., carrying out works also on holidays or at night.
As the director of the investment department of the Clip group emphasizes, the expansion in Swarzędz means spectacular amounts of steel, concrete and new sections of tracks laid.
But the innovative solutions which were applied – inter alia a system of three rail and two smaller, wheeled, intermodal overhead cranes – – are also impressive.
-Overhead cranes can be operated remotely via the so-called Remote Operation Station, located in the building of our intermodal terminal. Moreover, they are fully integrated with the so-called Terminal Operation System, which has a significant impact on the optimization of work processes at the terminal – says Michał Majewski, Director of the Investment Department of Clip Group. – The design of these devices is also innovative. One girder with an oval cross-section was used. The weight of such a device is 30 percent less than the standard one, and in addition, the oval shape means that the mass of air that has an impact on it is limited. All this leads to a decrease in the demand for energy consumed by the cranes during their operation. This has a significant, positive impact both on the operational costs of the terminal itself and on the surrounding environment.
Twenty trains a day
Another innovative solution is the new Megahabrail Intermodal contact line system, thanks to which all train traffic on the Clip siding is being performed under overhead lines. It means that they do not have to be disconnected from the grid during reloading.
The need to use diesel locomotives has also been completely ruled out, which also has a positive impact on the environment and is well-received by carriers.
The investment carried out by NDI allows us to aspire to be the largest inland terminal in Poland. The expansion of reloading tracks – from 4 to 8 with a full length of 750 metres and a reloading zone, as well as increasing the capacity of the storage area for intermodal units, gives us the ability to handle 20 trains in one day and store 10,000 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) at a time. Preparing the yard and tracks for handling with overhead cranes reduces the time of servicing trains at the terminal from 8 to 6 hours, which is attractive for our customers and carriers – emphasizes Tomasz Lange, Director of the Intermodal Terminal of CLIP Group
But the aesthetics and recognition of the modernized terminal were also taken care of. The installed elements, including the poles of the overhead contact line, are yellow, which matches the colour of the rest of the terminal, and also makes the siding stand out from other facilities of this type or railway tracks.
The effects of the expansion can be observed by taking the train from Poznań to Warsaw on the adjacent E20 line.
Centrum Logistyczno-Inwestycyjne Poznań II is the investor. The investment is co-financed by the European Union, from the Cohesion Fund of the “Infrastructure and Environment” operational program for 2014-2020. The total cost is over PLN 202 million. The value of the contract with NDI is almost PLN 30.5 million net.
