IN Brief:
- Annual handling capacity at Gądki has increased almost 80% to around 590,000 TEU, with storage rising from 8,850 to 11,800 TEU.
- Two remote controlled rail gantry cranes with 80-metre spans now handle transfers between transport modes.
- The expansion adds two tracks, extends three existing tracks beyond 750 metres, and provides 53,000m² of new paved operating area.
METRANS has completed an extensive expansion of its intermodal terminal at Gądki near Poznań, increasing annual handling capacity by almost 80% to around 590,000 TEU through additional cranes, rail infrastructure, storage, and operating space.
The project adds two remote controlled rail gantry cranes, each with an 80-metre span. METRANS has built a new crane runway with its own power supply and remote control station, while two additional rail tracks have been installed and the three existing tracks extended to more than 750 metres.
The longer tracks allow the terminal to handle full length freight trains without dividing them into shorter sections before loading or unloading. Removing that additional shunting activity can reduce the number of movements required around the terminal and leaves tracks and handling equipment available for productive container transfers for a greater proportion of the operating cycle.
Storage capacity has increased from 8,850 to 11,800 TEU. METRANS has also added 53,000m² of paved areas for storage, transshipment, and transport activity, giving the crane and rail investment a larger yard in which to operate rather than increasing lifting capacity inside an unchanged footprint.
The annual handling increase is proportionally much larger than the rise in static storage. That points to a project centred on moving containers through the terminal more quickly as well as providing more positions in which to hold them between road and rail movements.
The new gantry cranes form the core of that higher transfer capacity. Their 80-metre spans cover the rail handling area while operators work from a remote control station rather than conventional onboard cabs. Remote operation changes the working environment for crane drivers while retaining fixed rail mounted equipment for repeated container transfers.
Additional digital equipment has been installed around the terminal gates. Camera systems automatically identify containers arriving by road or rail and record their condition at entry, creating a visual and identification record before boxes move further into the facility.
That record can support both operational control and damage investigation. Container condition disputes frequently depend on establishing when damage was visible and which party had custody at the time. Automated gate imagery gives the terminal a consistent record rather than relying solely on manual observations made during busy arrival periods.
A rail weighbridge has also been installed to monitor axle loads, alongside a separate container weighing system. Integrating those measurements into terminal infrastructure reduces the need to move equipment elsewhere for checks and gives operators additional information before containers and rail vehicles continue through the network.
Gądki operates as a hub in METRANS’ European intermodal system, linking Poland with seaports and inland economic centres across the continent. The company operates terminals and rail services across 15 European countries, making individual inland facilities part of a connected transport network rather than local container depots.
Rail terminals have to coordinate several forms of capacity simultaneously. A train may arrive on time but still wait if the correct track is occupied, crane capacity is unavailable, storage positions are congested, or trucks cannot clear containers from the yard. Increasing one part of the system without the others can simply move the constraint elsewhere.
The Poznań programme addresses several of those points together. Longer and additional tracks increase the number and length of trains the facility can accommodate, two new cranes raise transfer capability, additional paved space expands the working yard, and gate and weighing technology provide more information around arriving equipment.
Handling 750-metre trains intact is particularly relevant as operators seek to improve rail freight economics. Longer trains spread locomotive and crew costs across more containers, but terminals need sufficient track length to accept them without splitting the formation into several movements.
Poland’s manufacturing and distribution base gives the terminal a substantial hinterland market. The country also sits on important freight corridors connecting Baltic and North Sea gateways with Central and Eastern European production and consumption centres.
Those flows still depend on train paths and network performance beyond the terminal boundary. More cranes and storage cannot compensate for railway disruption elsewhere, but they reduce the chance that terminal infrastructure itself becomes the limiting factor when rail services arrive.
The project has been co-financed through Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. With construction now complete, the relevant measure will shift from installed capacity to utilisation: how much additional rail freight Gądki can handle while maintaining predictable transfer times across cranes, tracks, storage, gates, and road connections.
