Page 15 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 03.18

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HINTERLAND ■
“Hamburg is just like a second home for us”
Interview with Peter Kiss, Chairman of the Executive Board of Metrans Group, on growth plans, investments and developments in hinterland services
Port of Hamburg Magazine (PoHM): HHLA has been sole owner of the Metrans Group since April. What are the consequences for the further development of the company?
Kiss: Metrans and HHLA have been allied in success- ful cooperation ever since 1995. We shall jointly pursue this, aiming to consolidate and extend Metrans’s strong position in competition between European rail operating companies. We shall strive to remain a reliable partner for our customers. Metrans is a success story. I am hap- py to tackle the job of carrying that further.
PoHM: What investments are planned for the next few years?
Kiss: HHLA is planning to invest a total of one billion euros in the next five years, of which 350 million euros will flow into inter-modal activities. For us, that means creating additional terminal facilities, acquiring new lo- comotives, and further modernising our railcar fleet. The digital revolution is increasingly challenging our ex- pertise. We shall make the required investments in our staff. For Metrans to grown further, we need powerful, competent teams.
PoHM: What is the Port of Hamburg’s importance for Metrans as a Czech company?
Kiss: Hamburg is the rail port in Europe. This is one essential for any strong growth in European hinterland services. At the beginning of the 1990s, HHLA des- patched the first container block train to Warsaw, Me- trans its first train from Prague to Hamburg in 1991. The city was the first European destination for a train
along the Silk Road in Europe. You could say that the city is our second home.
Going forward, the port will also remain the top rail hub for hinterland services through Central, Eastern and SE Europe. We also call other ports, but nowhere except in Hamburg do we have so many customers, with the largest number of connections. Both for freight hand- ling and the large number of overseas services, the Port of Hamburg offers our customers optimal condi- tions. With our successful team on the spot, we shall therefore continue to go for this base.
PoHM: Track access charges are being reduced in Germany. The Netherlands also want to do so. From the Metrans angle, will this lead to lower freight rates for shippers or can it be assumed that only a few operators will be passing on this price advantage to their customers? What is Metrans planning?
Kiss: The reduction in track access charges was al- ready announced last year. So far, little has happened. Basically, rail sorely needs relief on rates to face up better in intermodal competition to diesel-powered trucks. That also applies because other cost factors have recently turned negative. In addition, lower track access charges will only pay off provided that suffi- cient infrastructure capacities are available. What use are lower charges if transport lasts longer, with even trains being stuck in traffic jams?
PoHM: You have been Chairman of Metrans Group’s Executive Board since 1 April. Which pro- jects are you tackling this year and where do you see the group as a whole in 2020?
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