Spain-headquartered project forwarder Kaleido Ideas & Logistics has shipped the first of a 15 train order from Spain to New Zealand aboard a Höegh Autoliners ro-ro vessel.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) was contracted to build 15 electric trains for the Auckland Metro system and designated Kaleido Ideas & Logistics as its project freight forwarder deliver the trains from Spain.
The electric trains were manufactured at CAF’s factory in Beasain, northern Spain, and were transported by truck to the port of Santander, two hours away.
Kaleido ustilised Höegh Autoliners’ direct liner service to Auckland to complete the deliveries. Iñaki Echeverria, head of sales in Spain for Höegh said: “With rail projects such as the Auckland Transport Metro, timing is everything. Höegh recently increased its frequency from Europe to Oceania, offering five sailings a month. Having a regular schedule gives the customer the chance to plan ahead, consequently reducing both risk and overall costs.”
The trains had to be heat-treated prior to arrival in New Zealand, to kill any stink bugs. Iñaki said that, together with the customer, heat treatment of the trains was scheduled and performed at the port 120 hours before its departure to mitigate any risk.
Due to their length, trains of this nature need to be handled with great care. Loading and discharge was performed using Höegh’s roll trailers. These are equipped with integrated rails and a bespoke bridge is used to transfers the trains from the truck-trailer, directly to the roll trailer. Each train is made up of three sections ranging from 23.29-24.66 m.
The 14 remaining trains will be delivered over the course of the next six months.
