The environmentally friendly hinterland combo

Container mega-ships with a capacity of 20,000 TEU ensure a great deal of movement at the terminals. In Hamburg, an average of around 9,000 boxes are lifted from ships (unloaded) and loaded. Of these, 6,000 come from or head to the hinterland, while the remaining 3,000 containers or so are transshipments. Transshipments are transfers between the container mega-ships and smaller feeders, which are used to transport the boxes onwards by sea, primarily to the Baltic region. All the import boxes must be moved quickly to the so called hinterland. In the example described, this is done by 1,800 trucks (primarily for shorter routes), 40 block trains (these are freight trains that make scheduled runs as complete units) and usually also two inland waterway ships.

All the import boxes must be moved quickly to the so called hinterland. In the example described, this is done by 1,800 trucks (primarily for shorter routes), 40 block trains (these are freight trains that make scheduled runs as complete units) and usually also two inland waterway ships.

They arrive from the hinterland or by sea: thousands of containers are handled in Hamburg every day. Trucks, trains and inland waterway ships all compete for the boxes comprising the inbound and outbound traffic. All three mode of transport have their place and often work together.

Rail freight traffic is particularly attractive from an environmental perspective. Converted to tonne-kilometres (the number of kilometres travelled multiplied by the quantity of goods transported in tonnes), a truck emits 110 times more CO2 than a train. Additionally, rail requires only 1.2 hectares of land for one kilometre of route, while road freight requires 3.6 hectares - three times as much!

Around 46 million tonnes of goods were transported on the tracks of the Hamburg port railway in 2023! This means that rail has a larger share of hinterland traffic in Hamburg than trucks. The fact that containers transported by rail cover significantly longer distances than those transported by road is a positive thing.

When it comes to container transport by rail, Germany's largest seaport is the lone leader. Around half of the 5.6 million standard containers in total - that travel by rail every year to and from the largest ports auf the North Range - have either come from or are heading to Hamburg. This makes Hamburg the largest rail ports in the world.

A modern, IT-supported operating system ensures that all rail traffic is precisely scheduled and that all trains arrive at their destination reliably and without lost time. This infrastructure also includes the Alte Süderelbe port railway station with its distinctive tower. From here, rail operations between destinations throughout Europe and all the major container terminals in the western port area are controlled.

Day-to-day railway activities in the port are characterised by container trains, but rail is also an indispensable link to the hinterland for cars, project cargo and many bulk goods. For example, block trains carrying up to 6,000 tonnes of iron ore or coal for the steelworks in Salzgitter and Eisenhüttenstadt depart from the port every day. These are the heaviest trains operating in Germany and carry quantities that could not be transported by road for economical and environmental reasons.

Conversely, trains loaded with potash regularly arrive at the K+S AG Kalikai site from the Werratal region, to be shipped from here to all around the world. And in the Port of Hamburg’s fuel depots, tens of thousands of tank wagons are processed every year. Travelling by rail, they ensure the supply of a wide range of mineral oil products and chemicals.