Page 20 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 03.18

■ HINTERLAND
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Connecting, shunting, loading:
Intermodal traffic by rail and ferry
It is still chilly and the air is clear in the summer of the century 2018. At 9 a.m, it’s the beginning of the shift for Stefan Hehner, shunting-engine driver in the Port of Kiel, and his colleague and assistant Maik Kühl. Today, the two will move hundreds of metres of freight train along marshalling tracks, preparing them for their journeys into the German and European hinterland.
10:00 Preparations are in full swing for the departure of the direct train from Schwedenkai quay to Verona, via Kiel seaport’s own Meimersdorf marshalling termi- nal. Arriving from Gothenburg, truck-trailers and con- tainers travel on the direct train over the Alps – through Germany, throughout Europe – and that six times a week. But, before the train can roll out of Schweden- kai, its railcars and freight are checked: Everything properly secured? Any damage? It’s an important step before setting out on the long voyage. The crew on the terminal and in the office, organize and if need be, have things reloaded. Without communication, nothing would work here, and everyone knows it.
LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE CITY
10:45 The engine is ready to roll and starts making its way with the first part of the train to the marshalling track. This is located at Kieler Hörn, adjacent to Schwedenkai, sand- wiched between a main road and the western bank of Kiel Fjord – directly in the heart of the city. The shunting-engine driver’s most important tool is his remote control unit, known more affectionately as his ‘vendor’s tray’. Using this, he can steer the engine, while he and his colleague Maik Kühl pass through level-crossings, set points, con- nect and disconnect railcars: that all saves time.
11:15 The train sections have been united on the mar- shalling track – time to move on to the Meimersdorf
marshalling terminal. Mike and Stefan come together in the driver’s cabin. Thanks to the air-conditioning, it is pleasantly cool. Despite the high temperatures, Stefan is mostly out on the engine’s deck. “It doesn’t matter, if it’s summer or winter, I like to be outside, with the wind around my nostrils, and have the clattering of the wheels on the track, directly under my feet – that’s something special about my job, something every rail- wayman will understand,” adds Hehner with feeling.
FREIGHT TRAINS PREFERRED
Clacking, hissing, hooting, tooting, vibrating – and right next door, the din from the main road. We ask shunting assistant Maik Kühl, whether it isn’t too strenuous over time. But, he sees more advantages than disadvantag- es: “Here, I’m my own boss and carry responsibility. I did my apprenticeship in Hamburg. I’ve been in Kiel since the start of the year. I really like it here.” He qual- ified as a tiler, worked for years as a gardener, then took a side-step. Quite the opposite of Stefan Hehner: He has been a shunting-engine driver since 1986, hav- ing done the classic apprenticeship as a mechanic. He enjoys his job – working in an office is not for him: “There’s great variety and I like freight handling. Pas- senger trains are not for me. At the end of the day, with this job, I can see what I have really done.” Stefan Heh- ner then says just how badly they need apprentices in their field.
SHUNTING ASSISTANT MAIK KÜHL CHECKS THE RAILCAR BRAKES
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©HHM