Passau, 07 February 2024. More and more households as well as large-scale consumers and commercial enterprises are turning to wood pellets as a renewable energy source for their heating needs. Bavarian energy provider MaierKorduletsch is responding to the increased demand by expanding its existing pellet storage facility at bayernhafen Passau.

The company has been operating its wood pellet storage facility, consisting of three silo towers and a loading yard equipped with a vehicle weighing system, at bayernhafen Passau since 2020. The MaierKorduletsch Group is now investing around €1.2 million to add three more 30-metre high silo towers to the facility, doubling its storage capacity to around 8,000 tonnes. Construction began in January, with the silo foundations and bulk pit to be completed before the individual silo towers are erected. The new silos are scheduled to enter into operation in mid-2024.

Branch Manager Carsten Conrad is delighted with the project: “This investment will strengthen bayernhafen Passau’s position as a hub for sustainable energy. We very much appreciate the trust that MaierKorduletsch has placed in us and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future.”

Produced from sawdust and wood shavings as a by-product of the sawmill industry, wood pellets are a regionally available and sustainable energy source. The pellet storage facility will enable the MaierKorduletsch Group to stabilise fluctuations in supply and demand. This is particularly important as the amount of sawdust available varies according to order books in the wood processing industry. Investing in additional storage capacity will therefore help to ensure that the availability of wood pellets in the region remains stable.

Lorenz Maier, Managing Director of the MaierKorduletsch Group, highlights the benefits of Passau as a business location: “Storage is playing an increasingly important role in the energy supply sector: the expansion of the storage facility is also an investment in ensuring the consistent availability of energy sources. Thanks to its trimodal connections, Passau is optimally prepared for all situations. We look forward to continuing and further developing our excellent partnership with bayernhafen.”

From left to right: Alexander Knaus, General Sales Manager of the MaierKorduletsch Group, Carsten Conrad, Branch Manager of bayernhafen Passau, and Lorenz Maier, Managing Director of the MaierKorduletsch Group, are pleased with the investment in additional storage capacity, which will provide an additional boost to the reliable supply of energy sources in the region. Source: bayernhafen Passau / M. Ziegler

“The port itself is not very big, but the opportunities Passau offers are tremendous,” said Klaus Jaschke, Deputy Managing Director of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, welcoming the 80 or so business leaders attending the Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s “Praxisdialog 2023” forum at bayernhafen in Passau-Schalding. Passau efficiently links inland waterway, rail and road and offers numerous opportunities for shifting freight traffic onto trains and barges. The Lord Mayor of Passau, Jürgen Dupper, appealed to the business leaders to take full advantage of this highly promising, intelligent and efficient opportunity. “There is a need in the economy currently for a great deal of flair and instinct, and we need commercial traders, service providers and industrial companies to secure the future viability of our city. bayernhafen is a calling card for Passau and we also offer the ideal conditions for protecting the climate,” said Dupper.

This was confirmed by representatives from two Passau-based companies, Christian Köppl from Hornbach and Helmut Gaspar from Berger Beton, as well as Johann Brunhuber from Rolls-Royce Solutions in Ruhstorf. “You have to have the confidence to set your sights on new solutions. Distributing freight loads here at bayernhafen Passau offers advantages that cannot be matched by other transport modes,” said Gaspar. Even if risks such as low water levels or disruptions to lock operations cannot be entirely ruled out, road transport is also not without its problems, such as traffic congestion, road works, shortage of HGV drivers or the Sunday driving ban. This is why the shift to ship and rail is a workable solution that meets the different needs of logistics service providers.

The freight forwarder Jürgen Pfeil, who has long advocated the expansion of the port of Passau for the same reasons, highlighted the numerous advantages of switching to ship and rail, such as higher loading capacity, greater energy efficiency and reduced regulatory requirements. This was also confirmed by the guest speaker Ulf Meinel from viadonau, the Austrian inland waterway operator, who gave numerous examples from daily operations of the many efficient ways in which the Danube can be used.

Christian Süß from TFG Transfracht, a maritime and port-neutral operator that organises global combined transport supply chains, was also enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by Passau. When it comes to “green logistics”, combining transport by rail with inland waterway and road is also an ideal solution, he said. “We deliver flexible and reliable solutions to companies throughout Germany and in the process also drive sustainable protection for the environment,” he confirmed to the Praxisdialog participants.

The real benefits of trimodality could be read in black and white: Berger Beton, Hornbach and ZF Friedrichshafen AG received certificates from TFG Transfracht and DB Cargo for saving up to 800 tonnes of CO₂ in 2022.

During the subsequent tour of the facility, which involved a live demonstration of cargo and freight handling, Klaus Hohberger of the bayernhafen management team demonstrated how efficiently the port interlinks inland waterway, rail and road, particularly thanks to the almost daily train services to the German seaports. Through its lightering services, Passau plays an important role in shipping on the Danube. “As a result of its storage facilities and excellent accessibility for wide-load and high machinery components and the associated handling possibilities, bayernhafen Passau is key to securing the commitment of Bavarian plant and equipment manufacturers to remain in the region,” said Hohberger. Since 2022, bayernhafen Passau has also boasted an enlarged customs station at the quay, which guarantees uncomplicated clearance not only for inland waterway cargo handling, but also for transport by rail and road.

The participants of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s “Praxisdialog 2023” forum were impressed: “It is really inspiring to see the opportunities that are available to us right on our doorstep. The field of logistics is changing rapidly. Trimodality will in future clearly be more than just yet another of many alternatives,” confirmed one entrepreneur.

Passau, 21 March 2023 – Despite 2022 being a difficult year, bayernhafen Passau showed what it was capable of, with 278,138 tonnes of goods moved by inland waterway and rail. This amounted to a saving of over 16,000 truck journeys through the shifting of long-distance traffic to the more environmentally friendly transport modes of inland waterways and rail. bayernhafen handled a total of almost 9 million tonnes of goods across its six locations in Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg and Passau.

In 2022, 175,087 tonnes of goods were moved by inland waterway at Passau, 14.8% less than in the previous year. This was caused by a decrease in the handling of road salt due to the mild, low-snow winter of 2021/22. The handling of maize also fell as a result of the poor harvest in the hot and dry summer of 2022. A lack of freight capacity was also felt as shipping capacity was tied up with coal transports on the Rhine and grain transports from Ukraine on the Danube. Agricultural goods accounted for the lion’s share of shipping tonnage at Passau, followed by construction materials, minerals and ores. Heavy-lift/large-volume transport also continued to play a major role at the Passau-Schalding location. The same was true of ro-ro transport, which links Passau via Enns to Vidin and Ruse in Bulgaria. Rail freight transhipment proved to be robust, with 103,051 tonnes in 2022, the same as the previous year (-0.1%). A significant contribution to this was made by the positive development in combined transport. Since February 2021, a daily container train service has been in operation between bayernhafen Passau and the German seaports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven. In 2022, container throughput amounted to 5,497 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit = standard container unit), an increase of 87%. The container train service is used by companies in the region to export their products, for example from the automotive sector, and to import intermediate products and commercial goods. Cement continues to be an important rail transshipment commodity in Passau.

“Despite the challenges, however, we are seeing considerable interest and a fundamental willingness to expedite the change to inland waterway and rail for transport, not only among our customers but also among companies in Bavaria. We act as the backbone for the supply of goods to society and industry,” Says Joachim Zimmermann, the Chief Executive Officer of bayernhafen. To ensure that bayernhafen remains the first port of call, we will continue to invest in our infrastructure.”

Targeted investment in the development of Schalding and Racklau

In 2022, bayernhafen initiated a €2.5 million investment programme at the Passau location in the redevelopment of its port infrastructure. This includes the construction of a warehouse and garage building in Schalding and the procurement of a wheel loader.

The expansion of the river cruise infrastructure in Racklau has also continued. This is being carried out in close coordination with the city of Passau, which has planning authority. Currently, the berths are being equipped with a shore power system with six charging points for river cruise ships. The draft planning has been completed and the approval process is currently underway. bayernhafen is meeting the investment costs for supplying shore power, with the Free State of Bavaria and the federal government contributing a total of almost €1 million in federal financial aid. While at berth, the cruise ships will then be able to switch off their diesel generators, which will reduce CO₂ and particulate matter emissions, among other things.

We will also be upgrading and significantly improving the water-side infrastructure for the water rescue, fire brigade and water police organisations that have long been based at Racklau. Preparations for this are underway and are being coordinated with the city and the relevant stakeholders.

“It is in bayernhafen’s interest to develop the areas in Racklau intelligently and sustainably. We are fundamentally open to considerations that are feasible and compatible with port operations. In doing so, we pay particular attention to ensuring that there are no restrictions on the infrastructure for shipping,” says Branch Manager, Carsten Conrad. “Furthermore, all plans and ideas must take into account the fact that Racklau is located in area designated as floodplain.”

For 2023, bayernhafen is planning to instigate investments of over €420,000 in Passau, such as in the energy-efficient modernisation of two office buildings at bayernhafen Passau-Schalding.

Recovery in river cruise sector

The river cruise sector saw a recovery in 2022. In 2022, 314 river cruise ships called in at bayernhafen Passau, 25.6% more than in 2021 and the first time this figure had exceeded 300 ships. Due to the low water levels, many river cruise ships were unable to pass the still undeveloped section of the Danube between Straubing and Vilshofen, meaning that passengers were transported by bus between Regensburg and Passau.

Regensburg, 28 March 2022 – bayernhafen brings together a diverse range of goods and delivers the right infrastructure to meet the challenge of shifting long-distance traffic from the road networks to the two environmentally friendly transport modes of inland waterway and rail. In 2021, bayernhafen moved a total of 9.15 million tonnes of cargo and freight by inland waterway and rail at its six locations of Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg and Passau – a 4.6% increase on the previous year. 308,657 tonnes of goods were moved by inland waterway and rail in Passau in 2021.

Rail handling in Passau in 2021 climbed to 103,116 tonnes, more than double the volume of the previous year (+144.1%). This was primarily the result of the newly established Combined Transport link. In February 2021, a rail container service linking bayernhafen Passau to Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven went into operations, mainly transporting containers loaded with automotive components and commercial goods from the north to Lower Bavaria. In the other direction, goods are exported from across different sectors of the Lower Bavarian economy, including automotive, the regenerative systems technology sector and agriculture. Almost 3,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) were loaded onto barge at Passau in 2021. Other important rail cargo and freight in Passau are cement and motor vehicles.

In 2021, 205,541 tonnes of goods were moved by inland waterway at Passau, 49.3% less than in the previous year. This was principally due to the fact that the good water levels meant that there was very little need for lightering services for inter-regional ship transport. bayernhafen Passau is the last port on the Danube for ships coming from Southeast Europe before the undeveloped section between Vilshofen and Straubing. This stretch of the Danube requires cargo ships to perform “lighterage”, that is adjust their draft accordingly through offloading a part of their cargo on to another ship or storing it temporarily on land. In 2021, ships were able to transit largely without the need for lighterage, leading to a statistical decrease on the previous year. This is, however, not reflected in the local economy. The lion’s share of the shipping tonnage was made up of agricultural products, followed by construction materials, minerals and ores. Heavy-lift/large-volume transport also continued to play a major role at the Passau-Schalding location. The same was true of ro-ro transport, which links Passau via Enns to Vidin and Ruse in Bulgaria.

“At each of the regions in which we operate we act as a hub for the import and export of goods and are a driver of the regional economy. Our inland ports and the infrastructure they provide ensure the reliable supply of goods to the region as well as the shift to the more environmentally friendly transport modes of inland waterway and rail,” says Joachim Zimmermann, the Chief Executive Officer of bayernhafen. “This requires investment in trimodal port infrastructure and the concentration of logistics companies at the ports. That is why we must emphatically reject the idea of restricting functioning port land through changes of use in the surrounding areas, or using port land for other purposes on a larger scale. In the spirit of mutual consideration, any existing restrictions need to be minimized.”

It is currently not possible for bayernhafen to estimate the extent of the impact the war in Ukraine will have on the economy and hence on the logistics sector and international supply chains, whether on container traffic, agricultural produce or the supply of raw material for industry.

bayernhafen investment in Passau remains at high level

In 2021, bayernhafen initiated a € 4.3 million investment programme at the Passau location in the redevelopment and maintenance of its port infrastructure. One of its projects involved further expansion of its river cruise infrastructure in Racklau. At the end of the year, new drinking water supply points for hotel ships went into operation. In addition, bayernhafen plans to acquire shore-power facilities with six charging points for river cruise ships. While they are at berth, they will be able to switch off their diesel generators, resulting in a reduction in CO₂ and particulate emissions. bayernhafen will bear the investment costs, with total financial aid from the Free State of Bavaria and from the federal government amounting to € 1 million. Over the longer term, it is planned to construct a cruise ship terminal in Passau-Racklau.

To optimise the handling of bulky and general cargo, a new Sennebogen 855 E Hybrid mobile material handler was acquired. “When we invest in new vehicles and machines, we always strive to source them on the basis of the latest powertrain technologies, the best emissions standards, and the highest energy efficiency,” says Stefan Ring, Head of Technology and Operations at bayernhafen Passau.

In 2022, bayernhafen Passau is planning to launch an investment programme of over € 2 million that will involve, for example, building a new operations building.

“A lot has been done in recent years at bayernhafen Passau. Through targeted investments, we are developing and creating a future-proof service for both sustainable freight transport and the river cruise sector. This makes us a strong partner for our customers,” says Andrea Betz, Head of Real Estate Business at bayernhafen Passau.

River cruise sector

There was a partial recovery in the river cruise sector in 2021. In 2021, 250 river cruise ships called in at bayernhafen Passau, 81.2% more than in 2020.

Implementation of nature protection and biodiversity measures

bayernhafen maintains an eco-account for further construction developments. This account enables bayernhafen to implement the requisite biodiversity offsetting measures in advance and maintain a reserve for future use. Following the completion of the planning and preparation for the creation of eco-account sites at the Passau-Schalding site in 2021, the measures are to be implemented in the course of this year. The biodiversity protection goal involves expanding the existing soft-wood copses and developing hardwood coppices. In future planning permission procedures, eco-points can be used to offset construction measures. This will enable bayernhafen as a site architect to combine the development and management of tailored industrial sites, commercial areas and transport facilities with natural areas.

The end of February saw the first Schwarzmüller trailers travel by ship to bayernhafen Passau. The trailers were transported by road from the factory in Hungary to the port in Budapest where they were ‘rolled on’ to Donau Star’s ro-ro catamaran. They covered most of the journey on the Danube before being ‘rolled off’ the ship in Passau and on to their end destination. The successful launch of Schwarzmüller’s new logistics chain was the result of cooperation with its partners Spedition Hitzinger, the Rosenheim logistics specialist BTK and bayernhafen Passau. Donau Star BG EOOD has been operating a scheduled ro-ro service between bayernhafen Passau and the Bulgarian port of Ruse as well as other ro-ro-enabled ports on the Danube since 2015.

In the future, Schwarzmüller is planning to operate six to eight inland waterway connections per year.

bayernhafen’s Chief Executive Officer, Joachim Zimmermann, welcomes the new environmentally friendly transport chain: “I am delighted that the tried-and-trusted transport of trailers via ro-ro is experiencing a renaissance. Only when we use all available opportunities will we succeed in achieving the transition to greener transport.”

Find out more in the Schwarzmüller press release:

Trailers shipped by boat up the Danube

• New vehicle delivery successfully piloted
• Special transport undertaken using dedicated vessel type
• International expansion to neighboring countries on the Danube possible

Last Friday, 25 February, 35 trailers from Schwarzmüller’s Hungarian plant in Dunaharaszti arrived in the Bavarian port of Passau. They are the first delivery made along a new transport chain between the Hungarian site and the Hanzing Headquarter in the Austrian town of Freinberg on the outskirts of Passau. The pilot test will be followed by regular deliveries by boat, said Schwarzmüller Group’s CFO, Mag. Michael Hummelbrunner, at the unloading site in Passau. The new platform vehicles travelled about 575 kilometres up the Danube. First of all, lorries hauled them from the Dunaharaszti site to the port of Budapest where they were brought aboard the Bulgarian special-purpose vessel with a total length of over 100 metres. The cargo was “rolled on/rolled off” the vessel and not lifted aboard like a container. From the port of Passau, lorries hauled the trailers to their final destination in Austria and Southern Germany.

First vessel to carry new trailers up the Danube to Passau

This was the first vessel ever to carry new trailers up the Danube to Passau. After ten months of preparation, Schwarzmüller and its partners bayernhafen Passau, Spedition Hitzinger and Rosenheim logistics provider BTK were ready for take-off. At the end of a perfect premiere, BTK was able to welcome 20 new vehicles. Loading in Budapest was faced with a couple of surprises, though. One thing was that 40 instead of 35 trailers can be taken aboard. The other was that the Megatrailer won’t fit on deck and that such deliveries have to be continued on the road.

Obvious benefits

Schwarzmüller benefits from waterway transport in various ways. Moving off congested highways, a vessel on the Danube has a strict timetable and fits a lot better into delivery schedules, extending the transport time by only a slight amount. Transporting many vehicles by vessel replaces deliveries to distinct destinations which, all in all, reduces the carbon footprint. Bundled transport is also more economical. However, panning must meet stricter requirements: firstly, a sufficient number of orders for the target region need to be available within a narrow timeframe. Furthermore, tractors are required for loading.

New perspectives for practical implementationn

Schwarzmüller wants to start detailed tests of the new logistics module. “We don’t know yet where this will take us. We’re currently planning on six to eight vessels a year. Practical experience will teach us new perspectives”, says CFO Hummelbrunner. Schwarzmüller Group serves the markets of most riparian Danube states. The Group’s focal market, Poland, is also located within the Danube basin. In a couple of years, today’s trial shipment might well develop into a new international module of vehicle delivery.

On 16 June 2021, the Passau-based bank, Sparkasse Passau, invited members of the public and the business community to the future-oriented digital dialogue, “Drivers of Sustainability”. The bank’s objective for the dialogue was to present individuals and companies from the region who are encouraging sustainable development and driving solutions – at the private, commercial or municipal level.

Joachim Zimmernann, the Chief Executive Officer of bayernhafen, was also a member of the discussion panel. He illustrated how bayernhafen Passau-Schalding is cooperating with its partners to continually implement environmentally friendly logistics solutions, making it a true “DRIVER port”.

Additionally, the discussion was attended by a number of drivers in the fields of mobility, nutrition and housing:

• Harald Praml, from solar panel experts, PRAML GmbH
• Stefan Würdinger, from the bicycle specialist, Zweirad Würdinger
• Ferdinand Wagner, from the organic bakers, Biobäckerei Wagner
• Julius Fischer, farmer
• Andreas Huber, from the organic dairy products specialist, Hofkäserei Haindl
• Michael Hasler, from the digital electricity experts, Smartricity
• Thomas Bily, from the real estate group, ERL Immobiliengruppe

The Mayor of Passau Jürgen Dupper and county councillor Raimund Kneidinger also took part in the event.

The Antenne Bayern radio presenter Paul Johannes Baumgartner moderated the digital discussion and briefly introduced each topic. Then the audience were shown the video inserts for each DRIVER example that were pre-produced by Niederbayern TV. Despite the summer weather and the European Cup, an audience of 120 tuned into the online event. They actively used the opportunity to ask the speakers questions via chat and to make their opinions on the topic of sustainability felt via live poll.

The video insert on bayernhafen Passau can be seen here: (Source: Sparkasse Passau / Niederbayern TV)

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Passau, 11 March 2021 – bayernhafen Passau pools the different types of cargo and freight and shifts long-distance transport from the road networks to the environmentally friendly transport modes of inland waterway and rail. Even – and indeed, particularly so – in times of crisis, we must be able to rely on the steady supply of the goods that meet our daily needs and ensure that companies in Bavaria can continue to deliver their products to their customers. In the 2020 financial year bayernhafen Passau moved 447,559 tonnes of goods by inland waterway and rail – a 27.3% increase on 2019.

In 2020, inland waterway handling at bayernhafen Passau increased by over 105,000 tonnes to 405,319 tonnes – 35% up on 2019. At 42,240 tonnes, rail freight handling reached 81% of the volume achieved in the previous year. Agricultural products made up the lion’s share of the shipping tonnage. Heavy-lift/large-volume transport also continued to play a major role at the Passau-Schalding location. The same was true of ro-ro transport, which links Passau via Enns to Vidin and Ruse in Bulgaria. The main goods handled by rail in 2020 were road vehicles, fertilisers and cement.

“The current crisis shows us more than ever how important stable supply chains are,” says Stefan Ring, Head of Technology and Operations at bayernhafen Passau. In 2020, just like in the preceding years, through ensuring highly reliable port operations, bayernhafen Passau was once again able to play its part in ensuring the well-being of our society.”

bayernhafen Passau, along with Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Roth, and Regensburg, is one of the six bayernhafen locations. Even in times of crisis, its skill in developing interfaces enables bayernhafen to continue to pursue its goal of furthering the modal shift, because the ability of the bayernhafen locations to efficiently link the different transport modes means businesses can use rail and inland waterway for long-distance transport as alternatives to transport by road. Through this strategy, bayernhafen is making a key contribution to tapping the full potential of the different transport modes. This takes pressure off the road networks and reduces CO₂ emissions.

In 2020, bayernhafen invested around €1.5 million in the redevelopment of its commercial sites and port infrastructure at the Passau location, including in the paving of surfaces for container handling.

New direct Passau–North Sea coast link

In 2020, bayernhafen joined forces with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Lower Bavaria and DBCargo’s subsidiary, TFG Transfracht, to prepare a new intermodal train service between bayernhafen Passau and the German seaports. On 1 February 2021, the AlbatrosExpress started running services linking bayernhafen Passau to Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven, mainly transporting containers loaded with automotive components and commercial goods from the north to Lower Bavaria. In the other direction, goods are exported from across different sectors of the Lower Bavarian economy, including automotive, regenerative systems technology sector and agriculture. The winners are import and export-oriented companies based in Lower Bavaria.

Freight handling in bayernhafen Passau: Germany’s largest electrically powered lake ship

bayernhafen Passau has been a specialist in handling large and heavy project cargo for many years. One of the heavy-lift products it handled in 2020 was Germany’s largest electrically powered lake ship, a newly built pleasure boat destined for Lake Starnberg. From the shipyard in North Rhine Westfalia, the ship travelled down the Rhine, Main, Main-Danube Canal and Danube to bayernhafen Passau. Once it arrived, it was dismantled into several parts: the wheelhouse, deck superstructure and sun deck, and the 110-tonne and 35-metre long hull were successively hauled onto land – the transfer from water to land was carried out as a tandem heavy-lift operation with the crane specialist Schmidbauer, also involving the use of bayernhafen’s dedicated mobile crane. The task of transporting the ship to Lake Starnberg was taken on by two heavy-transport trucks.

Wood pellet depot commences operations

At the end of May, the new wood pellet silo depot of the energy supplier MaierKorduletsch commenced operations. The three 30-metre high silo towers can store a total of 4,500 tonnes of this source of renewable energy. The facilities also include a loading depot equipped with a vehicle weighing scale. The silo facilities enable MaierKorduletsch to meet fluctuations in demand and production volumes as well as expand its pellet business.

Eco-account sites also in preparation at bayernhafen Passau

The biodiversity protection goal at the Passau-Schalding location involves developing the existing soft-wood copses and developing hardwood coppices. “In our capacity as ‘site architect’ we create the conditions for providing high-intensity logistics companies with commercial sites in close proximity to rail and inland waterway facilities,” says Andrea Betz, Head of Real Estate Business at bayernhafen Passau. “Protecting biodiversity is also one of our key priorities. Although our core business naturally involves developing and managing industrial sites, commercial areas and transport facilities, they can be combined quite nicely with natural areas. Our planned eco-account site in Passau is a good example of this.”

River cruise sector

In 2020, 138 cruise ships docked at bayernhafen Passau – the reduction of more than half the normal figure was a direct result of the crisis. bayernhafen is continuing to invest in the development of its piers and in its replenishment facilities for river cruise ships in Racklau. The number of berths are to be expanded to seven, including electrification.

On 1 February 2021, bayernhafen Passau (pictured) was connected to TFG Transfracht’s Combined Transport network. The new service means that all of the five trimodal bayernhafen locations of Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Passau now run scheduled rail services to the German seaports. (image attribution: bayernhafen / Michael Ziegler)

Federal Minister of Transport, Andreas Scheuer, and the Bavarian State Minister for Housing, Construction and Transport, Kerstin Schreyer, praise the logistics cooperation partnership in the region: bayernhafen Passau and the DB Cargo subsidiary, TFG Transfracht, expand the freight train network between Passau and the ports on the North Sea. The project originates from an initiative in the Transport Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Passau, 1 February 2021 – Daily freight train services now actively link bayernhafen to the German seaports, providing a commercial boost to import and export-oriented companies located in Lower Bavaria. The initiative for this new, climate-friendly combined transport (CT) link was taken by companies from the region – the CT link operates without the need for subsidies. The train service is operated by the DB Cargo subsidiary, TFG Transfracht, which has led the market in so-called seaport-hinterland container transport for more than 50 years.

The AlbatrossExpress started transporting freight from Passau to the North Sea ports at the beginning of February. The terminus and logistics hub is the terminal at bayernhafen Passau. Primarily containers with automotive components and commercial goods are transported to Lower Bavaria from the north. Exports to the north include products from businesses in Lower Bavaria, including the automotive, regenerative technology and agricultural sectors. The seaports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven are linked to bayernhafen Passau by environmentally friendly rail services. Reachstackers and a mobile crane, in use since early 2019, are used to handle containers at bayernhafen Passau.

In addition to combined transport, the partners DB Cargo, TFG Transfracht and bayernhafen offer an additional service for wagonload transport.

The idea of establishing Passau as a port-hinterland location was conceived in 2019 in the Transport, Logistics and Infrastructure Expert Committee of the Lower Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).