Page 33 - Hafen Hamburg | Broschüre | Port of Hamburg Magazine 4.2020

THE IDEA
In a tube system four metres in diameter, goods are to be transported underground and fully automatically into the city centre. The tube will form the link be-
INFRASTRUCTURE PORT ■
A two-way system allows a continuous flow of goods into and out of the city
tween a freight village on the outskirts of the city and one or more City Hubs. Electro-scooters, cargo bikes or similar vehicles take over for the ‘last mile’. Ideally, the City Hubs will consist of newly planned logistics properties that permit mixed usage and therefore si- multaneously function as both distribution centres and department stores. Four Parx is in process of de- signing such City Hubs and was able back up Smart City Loop in conducting a feasibility study in Ham- burg.
SCL – Smart City Loop says that compared to building tunnels the tube character of the system would be less invasive and more efficient in terms of both traf- fic and environment. This approach can also be imple- mented considerably more rapidly. “All the techno- logy that we require, as well as successful fully-auto- mated conveyor technology, has been tried, tested and is state-of-the-art in the logistics sector,” says Smart City Loop CEO Christian Kühnhold. That saves considerable development costs. Kühnhold puts de- livery capacity at about 2.7 million pallets per year for a possible 24-hour service on 300 days per year. This could eliminate 540,000 truck tours, meaning an an- nual CO2 saving of over 10,000 tons.
This seemingly Utopian idea is already more than sim- ply a pipe-dream. Following the successfully complet- ed feasibility study in Hamburg, SCL has found a part- ner in the BWI – Hamburg Ministry of Economics and Innovation, which is promoting the project and has endorsed cooperation in a Declaration of Intent. As part of its innovation strategy, the Hanseatic City will initially be pursuing the goal of ‘making mobility more efficient, safer and more environment-friendly’ and ‘welcomes the idea of implementing the Smart City Loop project in Hamburg.’
AN ELBE TUNNEL FOR EURO PALLETS
The project has meanwhile reached the planning stage and has already been able to earmark a site in
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