Hupac’s Barcelona Combiconnect Terminal in La Llagosta is approaching the very end of construction work. In January, it will enter a test phase for train movements with containers and semi-trailers.
A fully loaded test train is scheduled to arrive from Antwerp in early January. At the terminal, containers and semi-trailers will be unloaded and then new units will be loaded onto the train before it departs back to Antwerp – standard stuff, but meaningful in the current context of La Llagosta.
That is because the Antwerp train provides an opportunity to test the terminal after extensive upgrades and to prepare it for more activity in the coming months. La Llagosta, jointly operated by Hupac and TPNova through their joint venture Combiconnect Barcelona, received a 20 million euro investment.
It will soon feature gantry cranes, OCR gates and advanced IT systems to support rail-road intermodal traffic, according to Hupac. It will also have four 700-metre dual-gauge loading tracks to facilitate operations on both the Iberian gauge and standard gauge networks. Once fully operational, the terminal is expected to play a role as a regional hub within the Barcelona metropolitan area, says Hupac.
The terminal concept includes additional services, such as:
- Parking facilities for semitrailers
- Unit weighing (VGM)
- Reefer electrical connections
- Steam heating
- Empty container storage
- Customs-related services
- Repair options for containers and refrigerated units
- Cross-docking services
- Last-mile services
Spain-Europe
“The test phase at Barcelona Combiconnect is an important step in bringing this project closer to operational maturity. Our focus is now on validating processes and building a reliable basis for future intermodal services connecting Spain with the European network”, commented Raul Maestro Linares, CEO of TPNOVA Rail & Logistics Services.
Earlier, RailFreight.com reported that the La Llagosta upgrade should lead to a handling capacity of 20 trains per day. In total, the terminal has received 80 million euros worth of investments, which also include 7,5 million euros for a switch project carried out by Voestalpine and 17,4 million euros for security and telecommunications systems.