The assembly of three Kuenz rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes is almost complete at CLIP intermodal terminal in Swarzędz, Poland, to help handle containers, semi-trailers and swap bodies.
Once the investment is complete, the CLIP logistics hub in Wielkopolska will be able to reload eight intermodal trains at the same time.
The 40 tonne intermodal cranes have a span of 96 m and are among the largest in Europe, able to stack four containers high and are equipped with piggyback spreaders.
The main part of the gantry structure is the innovative single girder with an oval cross section to reduce the energy consumption and the crane rate.
Together with the terminal operating system (TOS) the crane moves are optimised to keep operational costs and the duration for stacking and un-loading at a minimum.
Controlled by two Remote Operation Stations (ROS), the three cranes are connected and will be operated by two people from an easy accessible and comfortable place of work instead of three operators in crane cabins.
The cranes are a part of a large project to expand the CLIP terminal, supported by European funds from the Cohesion Fund under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme, at a total value of over PLN200m (US$51m).
Thanks to the implemented investments, the terminal’s reloading capacity will triple from the current 136,000 teu to 533,000 teu per year.
After the expansion, the terminal in Wielkopolska will become the largest railway transhipment hub in Poland, located on the transcontinental E 20 main line which is the main part of the new China-Europe Silk Road.
