The future of logistics in Germany: truck-free highways and freight transport by rail – this is exactly what Combined Rail Freight Transport (CT) makes possible. In search of innovative ideas for successful modal shift, we accepted the invitation of Jörg Hensel and Rainer Wilke from the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) to Hamm in Westphalia, Germany.

There, our team visited the site of the „Multi Hub Westfalen“ project: The former marshalling yard is to be transformed into one of the largest transshipment hubs for rail freight in Germany. DB Cargo's vision for the project is promising: the facility, currently equipped with 325 km of tracks, is to be converted and modernized in order to shift more freight from road to rail. With its central location, it offers everything needed to create access and transshipment points. We are excited to see what the facility will mean for CT in Germany and Europe.

We also visited the „Maxi Terminal“, an important terminal for freight traffic in the region. The direct connection to the Datteln-Hamm canal, the freeway and the Deutsche Bahn rail network offers the best conditions for the central European logistics hub, and the semi-automatic handling facility with the impressive gantry crane enables efficient and reliable handling of containers.

Learn more about innovative developments in combined transport from our research.