German ports need a strong rail network
The seventh Railway Conference in Hamburg, held on 11 December 2023, highlighted the need to maintain a robust rail network for the Northern German seaports. The Hamburg port, which handles over half of its hinterland traffic by rail, moved 47.3 million t of cargo last year.
Other ports also see rail as a key eco-friendly transport mode. However, with demand continuing to rise, the railways are already working almost at full capacity. Urgent measures are required to ease the burden on the network. Experts discussed synergies between railfreight and seaports, emphasising the need for national investment in port infrastructure and the expansion of rail capacity.
Senator Anjes Tjarks of Hamburg stressed the importance of rail for reducing CO2 emissions and decongesting roads. Bremen, too, is upgrading its rail connections. Kai Stührenberg, Bremen's state councillor for the port, stressed the human aspect of the port economy and the importance of addressing employment and skills development in the national port strategy.
The conference agreed on the need for significant investments and a transformation of the European and national rail network, with better connectivity and consideration of environmental impacts. Warsteiner's Daniel Küster called for a reduction of railway regulations to make railfreight more competitive. Ute Plambeck of Deutsche Bahn said that priority should be given to modernising the network and improving capacity. (pb)