Two million containers between Prague and Hamburg handled

HHLA's METRANS subsidiary has reached a new milestone by handling its two millionth container on the rail link between Prague and Hamburg. METRANS, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), has now transported two million standard containers (TEU) between its terminal in Prague and the Port of Hamburg by rail. During a visit to Prague by Christoph Ahlhaus, Hamburg’s First Mayor, a rail gantry lowered the jubilee box on to a METRANS railcar.
Christoph Ahlhaus, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: "Two million containers represent a remarkable feat. With the direct Prague-Hamburg link, METRANS is making an indispensable contribution to the economic strength of the Port of Hamburg. Despite the crisis in 2009, the trading volume of the Czech Republic has risen by one-third since 2006. Without METRANS, handling this volume would have been impossible."
 METRANS links the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other countries of the region with the German seaports through highly efficient rail services and container hubs. Over 60 trains run every week between Prague and Hamburg alone. Meanwhile, 75 percent of goods transported between Germany and the Czech Republic are handled by rail.
 HHLA and the Port of Hamburg profit in two ways from the proximity of the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe: Efficient transport systems in the hinterland bring containers to the HHLA Terminals in the Port of Hamburg, where they are loaded for transport overseas. In the other direction, the hinterland systems accept containers from overseas at the HHLA Terminals for onward transport into the European hinterland.
 Klaus-Dieter Peters, Chairman of the HHLA Executive Board: "The success of METRANS will spur us to further strengthen the Port of Hamburg’s hinterland links. In doing so, we shall systematically be building on the advantage of Hamburg’s geographical location. The Port of Hamburg and the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe will both benefit from this."
 Jiri Samek, Managing Director of METRANS: "Handling of the two-millionth container at our terminal in Prague is a milestone for METRANS. Following the severe economic crisis last year, on some routes, like this one between Prague and Hamburg, METRANS has already exceeded the record level reached in 2008."
 HHLA’s METRANS subsidiary has set a new standard in hinterland services with European seaports. Shuttle trains run between the container terminals in German seaports and the METRANS hinterland terminals in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Frequency is higher than on passenger services. The METRANS hinterland terminals function as hubs. Containers are transported onwards from these by train or truck. A complete customer service supplements the innovative production concept developed by METRANS. METRANS operated the first container train between Prague and Hamburg on 18 February 1992.
Source: Press Release