METRANS has completed a major expansion of its Gądki terminal near Poznań, lifting annual handling capacity by almost 80% to around 590,000 TEU. The extra capacity is underpinned by two new tracks and the extension of three others beyond 750 metres, giving the hub much greater scope to handle full-length freight trains.

The Czech intermodal operator finished the works more than a year after first announcing the project, with funding from Poland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Gądki connects the Polish market with METRANS services to Baltic and North Sea ports as well as destinations across Central Europe, making it an important interchange in the operator's wider network. The expansion has increased maximum storage capacity from 8,850 TEU to 11,800 TEU. Two new remote-controlled rail gantry cranes, each spanning 80 metres, now handle transfers between road and rail.

The rail infrastructure work changes what the terminal can physically accept. Before the project, Gądki had four tracks, only one of which could accommodate a 750-metre train. The hub now has two additional tracks, and three existing tracks extend beyond 750 metres, removing a constraint on full-length train operations.

METRANS has also added 53,000 square metres of paved space for container storage, transhipment and transport. The larger operating area is complemented by automated camera gates that identify containers and record their condition on arrival, alongside a rail weighbridge for monitoring axle loads and a separate container weighing system.

Growing Polish network

The investment comes as METRANS continues to expand its activities in Poland. In September, the operator launched a new regular service between Gądki and the Port of Gdynia, serving both the Baltic Container Terminal and Gdynia Container Terminal. The connection joins existing services from Gądki towards Hamburg, Warsaw, Wrocław and Dąbrowa Górnicza, adding a direct Baltic port link to the terminal's network.

"Gądki demonstrates how modern inland terminals and a strong rail network can improve the connection between seaports and customers across Central Europe," said METRANS Group CEO Peter Kiss. "By investing in capacity, technology and efficient rail infrastructure, we are creating the conditions for reliable intermodal transport and the efficient movement of cargo between ports and their hinterland. Poland's dynamic economic development offers strong potential for further expanding METRANS' European network."

With capacity at Gądki now close to 590,000 TEU and a direct Gdynia link in operation, the terminal is positioned as a central node in METRANS' plans to expand its European network on the back of Polish economic growth.