Three of the six new Kuenz RMGs that will be operated at the future Milano Smistamento intermodal terminal, east of the Italian metropolis, have been installed. The installation of the cranes “represents a fundamental development of the realisation of the new intermodal terminal”, said Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of the Italian state-owned rail freight holding FS Logistix.
The Milano Smistamento terminal will be managed by TerAlp, a company created jointly by FS Logistix and Swiss private operator Hupac. The helm of the company was assigned to Bernhard Kunz, already an Executive Board Member at the Swiss rail giant.
The terminal will have a total area of 240,000 square meters. “The infrastructure will consist of 15 tracks at least 740 metres long – 10 dedicated to transhipment operations and five for support – organised into two modules, each equipped with three electric gantry cranes,” said an FS Logistix statement.
The terminal is being developed in two phases, each with three RMGs. Module I has a maximum capacity of 11 train pairs per day and an annual capacity of 195,000 loading units. The second phase will see Module 2 added with the second three RMGs, doubling capacity to 22 train pairs per day and 395,000 loading units per year.
Hupac’s investments in Italy
The total cost of the redevelopment of the Milano Smistamento terminal is €120m, of which €67m came from the Swiss government. Of that figure €31m is for the Kuenz cranes, FS Logistix specified. Switzerland sees itself as a key transit hub along Europe’s busiest corridor. The government is eager to invest in terminals closer to its borders to ensure that more goods cross the country by rail.
Other than Milan, FS and Hupac are also working on new and renovated terminals in Piacenza and Brescia, two other important industrial hubs in northern Italy. The one in Brescia, which will be called La Piccola Velocità (“The Small Speedy one”), will see a joint investment of 60 million euros. For Piacenza, Hupac is upgrading the Le Mose terminal, which has been operating since 2007.
European Cargo Experience event
Terminals, terminal equipment and intermodal synergy will be the main topics of the upcoming European Cargo Experience. Organised in collaboration with our sister services RailFreight.com and Project Cargo Journal, the event will bring together leaders from all sectors of the logistics industry. Find out more about the event here and secure your Early Bird tickets here.