The recent introduction of new rail connections between a number of deep-sea terminals and the hinterland is making the transfer of goods faster and more secure, while reducing environmental impact.
APM Terminals Pipavav, one of India’s leading multipurpose ports, launched a rail connection to its Kanpur Inland Container at the end of 2018, giving customers the opportunity to connect more efficiently to the gateway port.
The new connection was aptly named the ‘Polymer Express’ as the first train on the route was carrying 90 TEUs of polymer for Gail, the natural gas transmission company.
APM Terminals Pipavav is one of India’s leading gateway ports for containers and liquid and dry bulk cargoes, serving customers in the state of Gujarat with road and rail networks to India’s hinterland and northwest.
“This new connection will help exporters and importers to move their cargo faster and more safely using an environmentally friendly mode of transport,” said Keld Pedersen, managing director at APM Terminals Pipavav.
This follows another recent connection in Italy, where new routes to the north from the port of Vado Ligure, have been resumed.
Vado Ligure is a large Mediterranean port that specialises in handling fresh fruit and vegetables, so rapid transit is essential. The new trains from the terminal travel to Rivalta Scrivia where the Rail Hub Europe SpA is based. This is a strategic hub for Norther Italy’s logistics system.
In this first phase the trains are using lowered carriages, suitable for loading extra tall “high-cube” containers, which provide extra volume.
These recent additions build on further expansions made last year in Mexico and Sweden.
APM Terminals Gothenburg saw the return of three rail destinations in 2018 – Insjön, Gävle and Karlhamn – increasing the number of routes to Scandinavia’s biggest rail hub to 13.
APM Terminals Gothenburg is looking to improve volumes and service levels for rail freight. “Sweden is a large and long country, with large export volumes. To be competitive in both time and cost, rail transfers directly to ocean-going vessels are needed to avoid expensive and time-consuming transhipments,” said Henrik Kristensen, managing director of APM Terminals Gothenburg.
APM Terminals Gothenburg aims to double the container freight flow on the ‘Västra Stambanan’ lines to and from Gothenburg within three years. “It will place great demands on all of us in the rail industry but will lead to great improvements in efficiency for cargo owners,” said Kristensen.
Meanwhile in the Americas, a new block-train service from APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, is helping avoid congestion and delays commonly associated with other west-coast ports, to reach hinterland destinations in the US and Mexico. Not only is the service faster, but it’s also proven to be much more secure than transport by truck.
Since the terminal opened last year, there has been an increase in eight vessel services calling each week. The terminal provides the shortest distance and lowest intermodal cost to Mexico City. As Latin America’s first semi-automated terminal, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas operates around the clock using the latest technology to offer real-time information, no congestion and swift turnaround times.
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