- Specially designed for our client, these wagons are part of a 22-year freight transport project.
Weighing 22,000 kilograms, 17 meters in length, and with a load capacity of 64 tons, the first two prototypes of the freight wagons that will transport two million tons of pulp per year from UPM’s plant in Paso de los Toros to the port of Montevideo are already on their way to Uruguay.
Our concession company Cointer, together with its partners Grupo Christophersen and Deutsche Bahn International Operations, will be responsible for operating this service over the next 22 years.
The wagons departed for Uruguay from the Port of Bilbao, where important operations took place to ensure their correct positioning and safe transport. The maneuvers were carried out under sunny skies, despite wind gusts of up to 72 km/h.
Custom-designed wagons
These wagons have been specifically designed for this project and include anti-vandalism features (protective cover, upper tarp, and metal end walls). They are waterproof, a key requirement from UPM, and feature an anti-slip coating inside to prevent cargo from shifting during transport.
Each wagon has four axles (25 t/axle) and complies with European standards, although their operation and certification are intended exclusively for Uruguay. They will run on the UIC international gauge (1,435 mm).
Loading and unloading of the pulp will take place through the upper cover, which includes an electric opening and closing system, as well as an alternative manual system.
Operations and maintenance center
As part of the same project — which foresees convoys of up to 26 wagons pulled by a single locomotive — the groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a major railway operations and maintenance center that will service UPM’s pulp plant.
The facility, built by Cointer and Grupo Christophersen through their joint venture PorTren, will include a 3,000 m² maintenance workshop equipped to handle the entire rolling stock fleet and a 1,000 m² administrative area.
During its construction, approximately 100 jobs will be created, followed by 75 permanent positions during operation.
Photos: Grupo Azvi
