In Bremerhaven, the expansion and digitalisation of the port railroad in Speckenbüttel has been decided.
The Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the Port Committee have set the course for a further strengthening of the infrastructure.
The focus here is on expanding the stabling capacity at Speckenbüttel station in Bremerhaven – i.e. the track facilities on which trains can be assembled or “parked” for transportation to or from the port.
The overall project, which is worth a total of around €56.1m, aims to secure the port’s long-term performance and, at the same time, support the ecological goals of port logistics.
The infrastructure will be modernised and expanded with a new seven-track extension to the existing 16-track station facility. With a minimum usable length of 740 metres, the new group of tracks will meet the increasing demands on rail freight traffic – i.e. the increasingly longer trains. The infrastructure of the port railroad will be supplemented by modern equipment such as brake testing systems, point heating and improved track illumination.
Strengthening Bremerhaven as a port location
“Bremerhaven is one of the most important port hubs in Europe. Already today, more than half of the containers handled in Bremerhaven are transported by rail. The expansion and modernisation measures not only ensure the competitiveness of our ports, but also make a decisive contribution to achieving our climate targets,” emphasises Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economics, Ports and Transformation. With this forward-looking decision, Bremen is strengthening its position as a logistics location and is also sending a clear signal for sustainable freight transport and the ecological transformation.
Henry Behrends, whose responsibilities on the bremenports management board include the port railroad, is also convinced by the project: “The fact that the Senate has made a decision this year is a good signal for the port railroad. This will enable us to complete the new track group in time for the planned general refurbishment of the Deutsche Bahn Bremen-Bremerhaven high-speed corridor in order to avoid potential bottlenecks during the construction phase.”
Integration into the digitalisation offensive
Parallel to the expansion, the infrastructure in Speckenbüttel will be integrated into a central electronic interlocking system (ESTW). This measure is part of DB InfraGO’s digitalisation offensive, which will modernise the entire high-performance corridor between Bremen-Burg and Bremerhaven. The new control and safety technology will further increase the efficiency and reliability of rail freight transport. “Especially after the complete conversion of the port railroad to the digital port railway operating system Prinos this year, this is a logical step,” concludes Behrends.
