VTG FastTrack makes ad hoc transportation from the Port of Hamburg possible
A flexible solution for ad hoc transport: VTG is expanding its service portfolio and, with the new VTG FastTrack service, can now offer a block train with container cars for last-minute transportation to and from the Port of Hamburg, the company said in its press release. Via a specially developed online portal, customers can book the block train with a loading volume of 88 TEU (20-foot standard container) around the clock. The 22 90-foot container cars are available immediately and are stationed on Hamburg Port Authority’s premises for short-term usage.For the first time, order peaks can also be managed swiftly and easily by rail.
“VTG FastTrack has enabled us to establish a unique, Europe-wide service that makes a valuable contribution to the Port of Hamburg’s hinterland connection,” says Sven Wellbrock, Managing Director of VTG Rail Europe GmbH. “The provision of the train creates capacity for transport, which, until now, could only be handled by road. This increases the appeal of the rail and contributes to environmental protection at the same time. We are therefore delighted to be cooperating with HPA on such a ground-breaking project.”
The first transports can now be booked as part of the pilot phase. “For the first step, we are working with a selection of railway undertakings, whose processes offer the necessary flexibility for the idea behind VTG FastTrack and which are already well acquainted with the conditions in the Port of Hamburg,” says Wellbrock. Future developments are on the horizon if the offer proves successful – in the short term by providing additional capacity in Hamburg and opening up the booking platform for other interested parties. In the long term, it would be possible to expand to other locations such as the ports in Rotterdam and Bremerhaven or even integrate additional car types.
All cars that can be hired in the framework of VTG FastTrack are equipped with the VTG Connector. This telematics module, with which VTG has been equipping its entire European wagon fleet since 2017, forms the basis for the VTG Connect service. It gives users real-time status data of the cars and can, for example, monitor their exact position at any time.
