Inauguration of Barcelona Multipurpose Intermodal Terminal, a strategic infrastructure for the international freight
The new logistics platform managed by Setemar, an Alonso Group’s company, stands out because it allows the rail transport of goods in European width to Barcelona and from there distribute the cargo to its hinterland. At the same time, from this point the cargo can be redirected to the rest of Spain by train in Iberian width.
During the presentation ceremony that took place this morning in Barcelona, Jorge Alonso, president of Alonso Group, higlighted “the adequacy of Barcelona Multipurpose Intermodal Terminal as a logistical hub for operations that need to integrate different track widths. This is a differential fact that makes us unique.” The event has witnessed a wide representation of the logistics sector among customers, suppliers and authorities such as the President of Puertos del Estado, José Llorca and the president of Port of Barcelona, Sixte Cambra.
The intermodal terminal that is already operational, “can be considered the gateway of the Mediterranean Rail Corridor with Europe” by allowing to receive circulations between Spain and the rest of Europe, as well as to the interior of the peninsula, without needing to stop in the French border.
This differentiating feature of Barcelona Multipurpose Intermodal Terminal, means for its users a saving of energy costs and a reduction of pollutant emissions, since it allows to carry out by rail the 180 kilometers that separate Barcelona from the French border.
Located near the port of Barcelona, this new infrastructure has a strategic location for the main freight corridors, which makes it a clear example of intermodality.
In this regard, José Llorca, President of Puertos del Estado, highlighted during his visit to the terminal “the leading vision in the Alonso Group’s transport policy and its president, Jorge Alonso” who has requested “doing more projects like this because they are exemplars for the logistics sector”.
Last generation facilities
Barcelona Multipurpose Intermodal Terminal has an intermodal module of 30,000m2 which is accessed through mixed-width (UIC and Iberian) tracks embedded in concrete. This facilitates transverse operation and reduces loading and unloading times compared to conventional installations.
In addition, it has a 10.000m2 storage warehouse of surface with rail accesses of mixed width that allow to carry out the operations of loading, unloading, manipulation and storage inside the same one.
The infrastructure is equipped with technological means that guarantee an agile and precise information flow among all the actors that make up the logistics chain. In this way there is a real-time tracking and the administrative management associated to the freight transport is reduced in time and number.
The logistics platform is complemented by several areas dedicated to different services such us cold maintenance, washing, storage and repair of containers, as well as heavy vehicles parking and a future service station for both diesel vehicles and Vehicular Natural Gas.
Target CO2 free services
Barcelona Terminal Intermodal Polivalente development, is framed within the Global Logistics Plan of Alonso Group, a project that has received the support of the European Union through the Mechanism “Connect Europe”.
The central axis of this Global Logistics Plan is to carry out a progressive reduction of the road transport replacing it by multi-product and multi-client trains with the maximum equipment standardization , which provide the user with a high frequency and regularity in medium and long distance trajectories.
For this, Alonso group is betting on intermodality in all its platforms, located in the main logistics nodes of the Iberian peninsula, favoring its interconnection through the railroad. Regarding last mile transport, the Alonso Group’s Global Logistics Plan contemplates the use of trucks powered by Natural Gas.
This aims to achieve a double objective: First, to adopt a model of transport of high energy efficiency and low CO2 emissions. Secondly, to offer a stable, modern, economical and competitive logistics service to all its customers.
