HHLA is boosting the use of rail for empty containers in the port complex around Hamburg. Its subsidiary HCCR is increasing movements from its Altenwerder Damm depot to hinterland storage areas. Around 20,000 TEU were transported by rail in 2025, with volumes expected to increase further this year.
HCCR stores, inspects and repairs empty containers before they are returned to shipping lines, freight forwarders and leasing companies. The company recommissioned a previously disused railway siding at the Altenwerder Damm site in 2015 and completed a comprehensive refurbishment in 2022. Since then, the volume of cargo handled by rail has increased steadily. The facility can handle block trains up to 720 metres long, carrying as many as 100 containers with a storage capacity of 12,000 TEUs.
The arrangement allows shipping lines, freight forwarders and container leasing companies to consolidate large numbers of empty containers at the depot before loading them onto block trains. HCCR says the main destinations are southern Germany and Austria. The containers are then used by automotive manufacturers and suppliers to load export goods for shipment through Hamburg.
Rail for loaded and empty boxes
The depot’s 12,000-TEU storage capacity is significant because empty containers can be held and consolidated before a train is assembled. This creates an alternative to moving smaller quantities by road, potentially reducing the number of heavy goods vehicle journeys between the port and the hinterland. HCCR’s rail connection is also separate from the road network serving the depot.
The development effectively complements HHLA’s investment at CTA, where a new remote-controlled rail gantry crane has now entered operation. As reported by RailFreight.com, the crane spans nine railway tracks, with a track width of more than 41 metres and an overall working width of around 90 metres. It can also reach preliminary queuing areas on both the waterside and landside.
Automation meets consolidation
At CTA, the new crane was delivered last year and designed for remote operation, while an existing rail gantry crane was retrofitted for both cabin and remote control. HHLA has been introducing the remote-control technology progressively since the start of this year, with operators and technicians trained on the new equipment.
The investment comes as rail already plays a substantial role in Hamburg’s container traffic. Around half of the port’s hinterland containers arrive or leave by rail, while approximately 2.6 million TEU were transported by rail through the Port of Hamburg in 2025. HCCR’s 20,000 TEU of empty containers represents a smaller operation, but one that is becoming increasingly integrated into the port’s rail network.
“By shifting the transport of empty containers to rail, we are relieving pressure on road traffic in the Port of Hamburg and on German motorways,” said Jens Gutsch, HCCR Managing Director. “At the same time, we are making an important contribution to reducing emissions and strengthening the sustainability of the connection between the Port of Hamburg and its hinterland.”