The Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in Hamburg now has its first operational remote-controlled rail gantry crane. Terminal operator HHLA says that it marks a major milestone in boosting rail handling efficiency in the city’s port.
The rail gantry crane was delivered last year. It has now been fully designed for remote-controlled operations. Alongside this, an existing rail gantry crane underwent retrofitting and can now be operated manually from the cabin and remotely. HHLA has gradually been putting the remote-controlled technology into operation since the start of the year.
The new rail gantry crane now spans nine railway tracks at CTA with a track width of 41 metres. The total working width of the crane is actually around 90 metres, says HHLA. It not only spans the railway tracks, but can also reach the preliminary queuing areas on the water and land sides.
Competitive advantage
“We are pleased with the successful commissioning of the remote-controlled rail gantry cranes”, commented Member of the HHLA Executive Board Jens Hansen. “They will make a significant contribution towards boosting efficiency and productivity in rail processing. We are thus strengthening the clear competitive advantage of the Port of Hamburg as the leading rail port in Europe. We will consistently continue to build on this. For this purpose, we will consider optimisations such as remote operation for future projects”.
Developments in rail operations are particularly important at the Port of Hamburg. It is Europe’s largest rail port, with around half of all hinterland containers either arriving or leaving the port by rail. In 2025, around 2.6 million TEU were transported by rail through the Port of Hamburg. The majority of these went via HHLA’s container terminals, says the terminal operator.