Bremen's port train celebrates its 160th birthday
Statistically speaking, no other port in the world holds a larger share in train traffic than the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven (Germany). Every second container is carried by rail to the hinterland. Four of five cars reach Bremerhaven by train to be loaded onto a ship for their onward journey.
This story began on 1 February 1860, 160 years ago. And even then the following motto applied: good transport connections to the hinterland are essential if a seaport is to prevail against the competition.
From small beginnings, the port has blossomed into a large enterprise: In 2020, the port train has a track length of 193 km, overhead contact lines covering a total of 70 km and four signal boxes. It handles 38,700 incoming and outgoing trains per annum. (ben)