Present situation of the Transport Centre LAR
At present about 50 companies and services are active at LAR. The activities of these companies cover the entire services range for which the Transport Centre LAR has been created.
At present, the total gross surface area amounts to 72 ha. The available net surface is subdivided into the following activity zones:
- forwarding agencies zone (situated east, most remote from the approach via the expressway). These agencies offer the following services: groupage services, distribution, international transport of full and part loads, storage either or not under customs supervision, express services, chartering, air and seaborne cargo reservations, railway-related conventional and multimodal transport, customs clearances and various logistic services;
- parallel to the motorway E17 is the railway terminal with parking area, fit for the handling of containers and trailers (intermodal transport) and the transport of all conventional goods;
- the centre zone includes the customs house with its public warehouse, the central truck-parking area, and sites for establishing offices and reception blocks; at the central car park there is a public weighbridge for trucks up to 60 tons;
- zone for related companies (situated west, closest to the approach via the expressway) , destined for companies that provide transport supporting services. This zone also accommodates storage companies and forwarding agencies;
- part of the zone for related companies consists of the meat wholesale centre (in replacement of the outdated facilities in Courtray and Menen), which includes the cattle market, the beef abattoir and various carving companies. The abattoir and the carving companies are connected with each other by means of a central cold corridor.
Early 2005, a new boost was given to the railway container transport. Leiedal appointed company Delcaterminal as exploiter of the new railway container terminal for a period of 20 years. The expansion works for this terminal started this year under the orders of Leiedal and consist of :
- the construction of a new terminal between the railway and the highway E17;
- the optimization of the existing railway terminal on the side of the LAR, which will be used for the ahndling of conventional goods;
- the re-construction of the goods courtyard.