Oct.9--HONG KONG's Hutchison Port Holdings' (HPH) unit Barcelona Europe South Terminal (BEST) moved 15,000 TEU via rail in August, breaking its previous record of 13,000 TEU set in March.
During August, BEST serviced 300 trains - 25 per cent increase on its monthly average - with two rail mounted gantry cranes allowing 22-car trains, carrying 72 TEU, to be loaded in 90 minutes and unloaded in one hour.
"With the continued hard work and support from the stevedores and the Barcelona Port Community we hope to sustain this trend," said BEST general manager Guillermo Belcastro.
With its eight-track facility, the biggest on-dock railway terminal on the Med, BEST's intermodal volume has increased from being 7.17 per cent of local rail traffic in 2010 to 19 per cent today.
The potential market for rail has expanded in recent years, reaching 600 miles of Barcelona, to become the Mediterranean's alternative access point for European markets.
Best operates an average of 65 weekly services to and from main destinations: Azuqueca (Madrid), Lisboa, Noain (Pamplona), Selgua, Zaragoza Plaza, Zaragoza TMZ, Villafría (Burgos), Tarragona and France.
(Source:shippingazette)