Intermodal operator Metrans obtained the building permit to expand its container terminal in Königs Wusterhausen, 40 kilometres southeast of Berlin. “With the permit secured, preparations for construction can move forward”, the company said on LinkedIn.
Metrans’ project is to build a terminal on the southern side of the Nottekanal, where it already operates one on the northern bank. The company uses the site to run a shuttle service connecting the Berlin industrial region to the ports of Bremerhaven and, especially, Hamburg.
The construction entails the installation of “new loading tracks and container gantry cranes spanning four tracks” at the Südhafen site. The cranes will be operated under a partially automated regime, Metrans added. The future site should boost connections to ports but also alleviate congestion at the DUSS Terminal, the main rail freight facility serving the German capital.
Metrans Berlin Terminal
The already existing terminal on the northern side of the canal was inaugurated by Metrans in 2019. It features one track of 800 metres and three of 500 metres and is equipped with one crane, two 45ft reachstacker and one 12ft reachstacker. In addition to the links to Hamburg, Metrans uses the terminal for connections to Leipzig and its Czech hubs as well.