The rail freight arm of HHLA will invest over €40m into the development of a brand-new facility in Zalaegerszeg, located on the transport axis to the Adriatic ports of Trieste, Koper, and Rijeka.

Construction works are to kick off this autumn, with the first section of the new terminal coming online in 2023.

The €40m+ investment includes a grant (approx. €11m) from the Hungarian side.

Metrans expects that some 120 new jobs will be created in Zalaegerszeg.

The company has been operating a terminal in Budapest since 2017, handling around 425k TEUs/year there.

"We are investing in Hungary because we see significant potential there for the rail transportation of the future. The Adriatic Corridor is developing into an extremely important European transport axis. That is why we also recently acquired a port terminal in the Italian city of Trieste. And Hungary, with its location at the heart of Europe, is of key significance to the expansion of the Metrans network towards Southern and South-Eastern Europe as well," Angela Titzrath, Chairwoman of HHLA's Executive Board, underscored.

Photo: Metrans/Grubyi Viacheslav