Container capacity boosted

VILNIUS - The market situation in transport and logistics indicates that due to the versatility and environmental orientation, the popularity of inter-modal transport is growing rapidly; in this regard the border-crossing station Poland-Sestokai is developing adequately, says the Lithuanian Transport and Communications Ministry, reports news agency LETA. “We have evaluated the provided scenarios and chosen the most advantageous variation,” said Saulius Stasiunas, Deputy Director for Freight Transportation Development of Lithuania-based railroad company Lithuanian Railways.

He added that, presumably by 2012, the planned works - the extension of a container storage site and investment of almost three million litas (869,500 euros) - will be accomplished. Then the capacities of this station will allow the yearly handling of 50,000 units, or approximately one million tons.
According to Stasiunas, the development will be going on in two stages - at the first stage it is planned to purchase a mobile mechanical scoop shovel for reloading of bulk freight from wagons of wide gauge railway (1,520 mm) to narrow gauge railway (1,435 mm). It has been estimated that this will enable the company to handle up to 150,000 tons of bulk freight yearly. The second stage, which has also been started, is related to design work.

“At this border-crossing station we will establish a bulk freight terminal, which will enable us to reload up to 2-2.5 million tons of bulk freight yearly. This work, the value of which reaches approximately ten million litas, is also planned to be finished by 2012,” said Stasiunas while discussing the development plans at the border-crossing area neighboring Poland.

The planned development will be expected to enable already in 2012 the growth of freight flows by 3.5 tons. “Having in mind the fact that at present through this station more than 220,000 tons of goods are transported yearly, our expectations and forecasts are really optimistic. Our expectations are based on two important aspects - the potential of freight transportation by road, as via the border-crossing point in Kalvarija the flow of goods reaches approximately 10-12 tons yearly, and on the review of marketing principles,” concluded Stasiunas.