South Korea: DP World-operated Pusan Newport Company (PNC) has announced the opening of the first on-dock rail at its Korean facility.
The PNC facility is expected to service all existing terminals at Newport and the nearby freight stations and free zone. The facility, which covers an area of more than 60,000 square-metres, comprises two operational units. Each unit consists of four 600-metre sidings and adjacent stacking areas and is serviced by two rail-mounted gantries (RMG).
"The PNC rail operation supports the shift from road to rail greatly encouraged by the Korean Government, which has announced significant incentives to industry to move cargo from road to rail as part of a Green Transport policy, and we are confident the industry will be very supportive of the PNC facility," said Jong-ki Kim, President of PNC.
The port area is supported by an extensive rail marshalling area at nearby Newport Station in Noksan. With 32 holding tracks, the facility has a large surge capacity that can reduce overall transit times to and from the port.
The Korean government has completed a dedicated freight line from PNC and Noksan to Samrangjin Station, connecting the port to the main rail trunk routes between Seoul and Busan, which will reduce overall transit times compared to the current shared passenger/freight lines servicing the older, city-based container terminals.
