The Operation of Handling Areas of 1435 mm and 1520 mm Gauge Railways in Europe

Abstract

The subject of research was the reloading infrastructure at the interface railway gauge 1435 mm and 1520 mm. The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of transhipment areas. The spatial scope of work included European countries, where the studied rail systems meet. The infrastructure in the EU countries was analysed in detail. Inventory was made based on information published by the operators of terminals, cartographic materials and field studies. This allowed for the identification of a total of 40 handling districts (including 23 in the EU), in which different types of terminals function. The most developed regions were: Małaszewicze, Przemyśl and LHS in Poland, Cierna in Slovakia and Zahony in Hungary. Some parts of the handling areas included large cities such as Iasi and Galati in Romania, Kosice in Slovakia, Kaunas in Lithuania, and the conurbation of Upper Silesia in Poland, which was reached by the LHS line. The use of studied infrastructure was dependent on the size of trade and on geopolitical factors. Despite the need for changing wagons and track of wheels, most of the cargo was reloaded.