Alza Cargo - another rail carrier with a multi-system locomotive at BCT!
Another rail carrier, Alza Cargo, has introduced a multi-system locomotive into its regular intermodal service arriving at BCT. This time it is a GAMA type 111 Ed-20 locomotive. On Tuesday, two sets of rail wagons were hauled for service with GAMA-type locomotives. The locomotive came to us on its maiden voyage straight from the PESA factory in Bydgoszcz as the latest purchase of this carrier!
Such locomotives are capable of switching freely from electric to diesel power. Due to the continued lack of electric traction on the tracks leading to BCT (planned for 2024), rail carriers still have to swap the electric locomotives that bring containers from the interior of the country to Gdynia Port station, for small diesel locomotives that distribute the rail wagons for service at individual terminals in the port of Gdynia. Multi-system locomotives do not require such a procedure, which significantly reduces delivery time (by as much as 8 hours or more) and also considerably saves costs for the carrier.
Alza Cargo is the second carrier after Freightliner to deploy multi-system locomotives for deliveries to our terminal. This is important for us because Alza Cargo runs 3 full shuttle trains a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), from which we unload and load 42 x 45' containers per train. Independence from the local shunting yard gives us greater control over the timely delivery of rail wagons. It promotes better planning and efficiency of cargo handling. In addition, the locomotive does not pull away from the rail wagon unit, which means that as soon as loading is complete, the entire wagon unit travels on into the country and does not block the loading track while waiting for the shunting locomotive to arrive. This significantly (and at no expense) increases the capacity of our Rail Terminal! We hope that the current tendency to use multi-sector locomotives will spread more widely and that the majority of carriers will start using them in their operations with the Polish ports.
