METRANS has lifted annual handling capacity at its Gądki terminal near Poznań by almost 80%, to around 590,000 TEU, after completing a major expansion that adds two tracks and extends three others beyond 750 metres. The Czech intermodal operator finished the works more than a year after first announcing the project, with backing from Poland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The upgrade positions one of Central Europe's key inland hubs to handle full-length freight trains at scale — a constraint that previously limited the terminal's throughput. Before the project, Gądki had just four tracks, and only one of them could accommodate a 750-metre train.

What exactly has changed at Gądki?

The numbers behind the expansion tell the story:

• Maximum storage capacity rises from 8,850 TEU to 11,800 TEU.
• Two new remote-controlled rail gantry cranes, each spanning 80 metres, handle transfers between road and rail.
• Two additional tracks have been built, while three existing tracks now run beyond 750 metres.
• The terminal has gained 53,000 square metres of paved space for container storage, transhipment and transport.

Technology upgrades complement the concrete and steel. Automated camera gates now identify containers and record their condition on arrival, while a new rail weighbridge monitors axle loads alongside a separate container weighing system.

Why does the expansion matter for shippers?

Gądki connects the Polish market with METRANS services to Baltic and North Sea ports, as well as destinations across Central Europe, making it a critical interchange in the operator's wider network. More track length means more full-length trains, and more storage means less congestion at peak times — both directly relevant to shippers moving cargo between deep-sea gateways and the Polish hinterland.

The timing aligns with METRANS' broader build-out in Poland. In September, the operator launched a new regular service between Gądki and the Port of Gdynia, serving both the Baltic Container Terminal and Gdynia Container Terminal. That connection joined existing services from Gądki towards Hamburg, Warsaw, Wrocław and Dąbrowa Górnicza, adding a direct Baltic port link to the terminal's network.

For forwarders and BCOs routing cargo through northern German or Baltic ports, the expanded hub offers greater reliability and headroom on intermodal connections into Central Europe — capacity that becomes more valuable as Polish import and export volumes grow.

What does METRANS see in Poland?

Group CEO Peter Kiss framed the investment as part of a wider strategy tying inland terminals to seaport hinterlands.

"Gądki demonstrates how modern inland terminals and a strong rail network can improve the connection between seaports and customers across Central Europe," Kiss said. "By investing in capacity, technology and efficient rail infrastructure, we are creating the conditions for reliable intermodal transport and the efficient movement of cargo between ports and their hinterland."

Kiss also pointed to Poland's growth as a driver for future network expansion. "Poland's dynamic economic development offers strong potential for further expanding METRANS' European network," he said.

The statement signals that Gądki is unlikely to be the last Polish investment from the operator, whose network already links the country to both Baltic and North Sea port systems. With the new Gdynia service running and 590,000 TEU of annual capacity now available at Gądki, METRANS has laid the physical groundwork for shifting more Polish hinterland volumes from road to rail — and for capturing growth as trade flows through Gdańsk, Gdynia and Hamburg continue to evolve.