Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC) submitted its plans for developing the design of the Budapesti Intermodális Logisztikai Központ (BILK Terminal), managed by Rail Cargo Group in Hungary. HPC wants to find solutions to increase the terminal’s capacity and strengthen its position in the network.

However, according to HPC, expanding the terminal will not be easy, considering that maximum handling capacity has already been reached and there is no available land for expansion.

New technologies and more safety

HPC’s project involves a study of the terminal’s current capacity, the shortening of unit dwell times and trains turnarounds, and the spreading of the volumes among all traffic types. To speed up gate procedures, the company is considering solutions such as optical character recognition (OCR) and self-check-ins.

OCR is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into machine-encoded text. This technology would allow for significantly faster procedures and, therefore, fewer delays and congestion.

Another focus point of HPC’s plan is to improve safety in the terminal. “Significant increases in annual volumes will put undoubted stress on current operational processes with a consequent negative effect on work safety due to limited space availability, and crossing traffics,” the company said.

The BILK terminal

The BILK terminal plays a crucial role in intermodal traffic for Rail Cargo Group with regular connections to European ports, including Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Koper, and Pireus, and terminals, including Neuss, Wels, and Vienna. The terminal is one of Hungary’s biggest intermodal logistics hubs, with a total throughput of 230,000 TEU in 2021.

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