GPLN members Trans-Trading GmbH, Hamburg and UTM Projects & Logistics Pty. Ltd., Brisbane have jointly secured the transport of 68 locomotives each weighing 132 tons, from Mannheim, Germany up to placed on to rail at the Brisbane Multimodal Terminal, Brisbane, Australia.

The locomotives, manufactured in Munich, were transported from Munich by low loaders to Mannheim where GPLN member Trans-Trading GmbH received them.  “Due to height restrictions along the route to Mannheim, the locomotives arrived with a temporary roof which was replaced with the actual roof, including a pantograph, upon arrival at the heavy lift terminal in Mannheim,” said Thorsten Reinke, Hamburg branch manager of Trans-Trading, Once permanent roofs were assembled, the locomotives, two per lot, were shipped by river barge to Bremerhaven. Once in Bremerhaven, the locomotives were lifted out of the river barge using mobile cranes and were loaded on to Ro-Ro vessels for direct shipment to Brisbane.

Upon arrival in Brisbane, the locomotives were pulled off the vessel using an eight-axle hydraulic trailer and were delivered to the Brisbane Multimodal Terminal (BMT). At the BMT, a trailer with a locomotive is driven underneath a lifting system and locomotives are lowered on to rail.  “The challenges in Brisbane included, but were not limited to, the coordination of the tides as locomotives can only come down the vessel’s ramp during low tide,” said Peter Schweizer, managing director of UTM Projects & Logistics. “Also we had to coordinate transport with port security and the BMT operator in order to make certain deliveries did not interfere with regular train operations at the BMT.”

With the arrival of the first Pacific National locomotive in May 2009 the second stage of this massive project has started. So far, a total of 27 locomotives have been delivered without any delays and to the

fullest satisfaction of the customer, Schweizer said..