The Kouvola Rail and Road Terminal, built by the City of Kouvola and operated by Railgate Finland in the country's southeast, was officially commissioned.

The 150k-TEUs/year handling capacity facility spans over 42 ha (including a 10 ha cargo yard) and offers a sidetrack that can accommodate trains 1,100 m in length.

The investment, part of the EU TEN-T Core Network, was carried below the original budget, down €6.0m to €34m. The city provided approximately €23.6m, the EU about €6.8m, and the Finnish State around €3.5m.

The developers of Kouvola RRT employed several sustainable measures while erecting the facility. These included using recycled asphalt and concrete, while crushed stone and surplus masses excavated from the rocky hill in the area were utilised as far as possible on the construction site.

At the same time, the City of Kouvola says, "The effects of the RRT project on the surrounding nature and species have been regarded. A lot of waste brought to the area over time has been disposed of. Pathways were left for the local fauna, such as flying squirrels, to enable connections between different territories. The groundwater area has been considered in the selected solutions and future terminal operations."

The dry port is part of the area's 170 ha big development site.

Next to Kouvola RRT sits the road & rail 17 ha big Kouvola Cargo Yard, also owned by the city (and managed by Kouvolan Yritystilat).

Photo: Railgate Finland