Page 27 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 02.19
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 network in accordance with EU directives, and rais- ing the speed limit for freight trains from 100 to 120 kph. PKP as a group is therefore placing the empha- sis on upgrading infrastructure, especially in the area of Eastern border crossings and along the longest broad-gauge track. An intermodal terminal with an annual handling capacity of up to 300,000 TEU is located at the end of this line. Plans for moderniz- ing this involve investments in cutting-edge control systems, new terminals and an increase in speed to 120 kph for trains of up to 5,000 tons. Parallel in- vestments will be made in aligning terminal handling capacities to market demand, expanding alternative border crossings and providing new bridges. As a result, rail freight traffic via Poland should become faster and more reliable.
How could gauge switching and customs process- es on the Eastern border be improved?
Firstly, it is essential to expand the number and lengths of the broad-gauge tracks from the East and to raise their axle load-bearing capacity to cater for longer and heavier trains. That will also avoid the
splitting up of block trains beyond the Eastern border. Secondly, a system for data interchange between train operating companies will be developed. Such communication aims to counter creation of bottle- necks at border crossings. Frontier checks could also still be optimized. As a first step in this direction, the TORY-24 pilot program is being introduced at the Te- respol-Brest border crossing. All checks of imported goods should be conducted within 24 hours of their being presented. 24 hours is still a long period, but we as an EU frontier country need to exercise due care. We are also opening new frontier crossings with Byelorussia and are considering making additional in- vestments in that area.
In addition, we are thinking about using a solution that could improve the effectiveness of freight transport at the frontier crossing point between 1520 and 1435 mm. This is an innovative project, part of the second generation of the SUW2000 system for automatic ad- justment of wheel gap. The improved mechanism on the railcar would permit a considerable reduction in the time required for transfer at the interface between dif- ferent track gauges.
HAMBURG AND CHINA ■
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