HAMBURG – Gateway to the New Silk Road

  • More than 2,000 years ago, goods were already traded between China and Europe via the ancient Silk Road. Today, the Chinese government wants to revive these transport routes. The so-called Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) includes, among other things, the establishment of an extensive economic zone between Asia and Europe. It already covers far more areas than the original network of trading routes.

    Initially referred to as “One Belt, One Road”, the initiative comprises of two transport routes – the Silk Road Economic Belt by land and the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century by sea. Like the ancient Silk Road, it is a network of routes through which goods could be exchanges by road, rail or ship between Asia, Africa and Europe.

    Since its announcement in 2013, continental rail services have become an integral pillar for the BRI due to the involvement of China. The network of rail corridors now extends from Europe’s western shores to China’s eastern coast. The Chinese government is constantly pushing ahead with its ambitious plans: In 2014, slightly fewer than 800 trains with a freight volume of 25,000 TEU ran along the New Silk Road between China and Western Europe. 2016 brought an increase to 1,700 trains, with a container volume of 145,000 TEU. According to estimates of the International Union of Railways (UIC), 878,000 TEU were transported on the Eurasian rail corridors in 2020.

HHM / Shutterstock

Connections to China

  • In 2022, about 257 marketed weekly connections were offered between Hamburg and 19 Chinese destinations. The cities Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Harbin, Hefei, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Shilong, Suzhou, Weihai, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an, Yiwu and Zhengzhou were thus linked to Hamburg by regular train services via the New Silk Road.

    In 2022, around 81,000 TEU were transported by rail between Hamburg and China. The Port of Hamburg handles around 2.5 Mil. TEU in China trade every year. Almost one third of all containers passing through Germany’s largest seaport have China as their destination or origin.

    Intermodal Datenbank

    Updated 2023

  • Terminals in the Port of Hamburg for rail cargo to and from China

    On the tracks in the Port of Hamburg, approximately 200 goods trains and 5,500 wagons are handled rapidly and efficiently every day. There are now more than 160 rail operators using these tracks, with a dense network of wagon load traffic as well as shuttle and block train connections throughout Europe. Every week, there nearly 2,000 connections to and from Hamburg.

    The rail network is coordinated by the Hamburg Port Railway, a division of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). It is the link between the cargo terminals in the Port of Hamburg and the European rail network:

    • C. Steinweg (Süd-West Terminal) GmbH & Co. KG
      Address

      C. Steinweg (Süd-West Terminal) GmbH & Co. KG

    • EUROKOMBI Terminal GmbH
      Address

      EUROKOMBI Terminal GmbH

    • Deutsche Umschlaggesellschaft Schiene–Straße (DUSS) mbH
      Address

      Deutsche Umschlaggesellschaft Schiene–Straße (DUSS) mbH

    • Kombi-Transeuropa Terminal Hamburg
      Address

      Kombi-Transeuropa Terminal Hamburg

The New Silk Road closes the gap between seaborne cargo and air freight

  • Ships, railways, or airplanes – you have to choose among these three means of transport when shipping goods between China and Europe. Costs and time are important factors in this decision. That is why seaborne transport is usually the first choice, since it is the most economical option. However, it can take up to eight weeks for the goods to reach their destination. With only one to two days transport time, choosing air transport is usually the fastest way, but also many times more expensive than maritime transport. The third alternative, transporting goods by rail, thus closes the gap between sea and air transport: Due to the BRI the railway connections between Europe and China have undergone immense improvements and trains only take 12 to 21 days to reach their destinations. The costs also range between those of sea and air freight.

  • Hamburg-European hub for the New Silk Road

iStock gong hangxu

  • News

    • PORTtalk live: China remains important market for Port of Hamburg
      News

      Economy

      25 Nov 2021

      PORTtalk live: China remains important market for Port of Hamburg

      By sea and by rail - Hamburg remains an important hub for China.

    • New connections between China and Hamburg
      News

      Economy

      11 Nov 2021

      New connections between China and Hamburg

      For the fourth time in a row, Port of Hamburg participated at China International Import Expo (CIIE).

    • 7-8 December 2021: European Silk Road Summit 2021 in Amsterdam
      News

      Hinterland

      04 Nov 2021

      7-8 December 2021: European Silk Road Summit 2021 in Amsterdam

      On 7 & 8 December 2021, RailFreight.com welcomes the rail freight industry in Amsterdam at the 5th-anniversary edition of the European Silk Road Summit.

    • New container train service between Hamburg and China: ‘Shanghai-Express’ reaches Port of Hamburg
      News

      Economy

      26 Oct 2021

      New container train service between Hamburg and China: ‘Shanghai-Express’ reaches Port of Hamburg

      Fully loaded, the first container block train on the new service reached the DUSS terminal in Hamburg on October 25.

    • Tollerort to become preferred hub for COSCO services
      News

      Economy

      21 Sep 2021

      Tollerort to become preferred hub for COSCO services

      Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and COSCO Shipping Ports Limited (CSPL) successfully concluded negotiations

    • New Silk Road: Services between Hamburg and Xuzhou successfully established
      News

      Hinterland

      30 Apr 2021

      New Silk Road: Services between Hamburg and Xuzhou successfully established

      The Port of Hamburg is a top destination for rail services between China and Germany. Since November last year, a new link has become…

    • Rail traffic between China and Hamburg shows positive development
      News

      Hinterland

      06 Nov 2020

      Rail traffic between China and Hamburg shows positive development

      The People's Republic of China is the most important trading partner of the Port of Hamburg. In 2019 alone, around 2.6 million TEUs were…

    • Face Masks for Hamburg and the Port of Hamburg
      News

      Economy

      20 May 2020

      Face Masks for Hamburg and the Port of Hamburg

      On May 18, Port of Hamburg Marketing received a donation of several thousand protective masks from the government of the Chinese province…

    • New Shandong-Europe Express links China and Hamburg
      News

      Hinterland

      30 Apr 2020

      New Shandong-Europe Express links China and Hamburg

      China is the Port of Hamburg’s most important trade partner. Hamburg serves as the gateway to Europe for Chinese goods. Along with handling…

    • New service on New Silk Road: for the first time a single waybill for both rail and ferry
      News

      Economy

      15 Nov 2019

      New service on New Silk Road: for the first time a single waybill for both rail and ferry

      UTLC ERA sends first train from China to Germany via rail and ferry … On Tuesday 12th November, the first goods train from China will…

    • DHL ramps up its rail network and service along the new silk road
      News

      Hinterland

      14 Nov 2019

      DHL ramps up its rail network and service along the new silk road

      • Three new European Rail Competence Centers in France, Italy, and the UK provide customer service and freight handling between Europe and…

    • Hamburg – European hub for the China Trades
      News

      Economy

      10 Sep 2019

      Hamburg – European hub for the China Trades

      Hamburg and China have been trading partners by since the 18th century. Hamburg has nurtured a city & port partnership with Shanghai since…

  • Media: Hamburg - Gateway to the new silk road

    • Brochure : HAMBURG –GATEWAY TO THE NEW SILK ROAD
      Media

      22 Sep 2022

      00:00

      Brochure : HAMBURG –GATEWAY TO THE NEW SILK ROAD

      Hamburg is the leading sea- and rail port for trade with China.

    • Shanghai-Express - New Weekly Connection Shanghai and Hamburg
      Media

      02 Nov 2021

      00:00

      Shanghai-Express - New Weekly Connection Shanghai and Hamburg

      From Shanghai to Hamburg in less than three minutes with our latest PORTmovie: The first „Shanghai-Express“ arrived at DUSS-Terminal Hamburg.

    • Port of Hamburg Magazine 2.2019 – Hamburg and China
      Media

      03 Jun 2019

      00:00

      Port of Hamburg Magazine 2.2019 – Hamburg and China

      Port of Hamburg Magazine 2.2019 – Hamburg and China

  • Hamburg - European Hub for the New Silk Road

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    07 May 2021
  • Shandong-Europa Express

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    30 Apr 2020

    Senator for Economy, Michael Westhagemann


  • Shandong-Europa Express

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    30 Apr 2020
  • Shandong-Europa Express

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    30 Apr 2020

Port of Hamburg Marketing on Hamburg and the New Silk Road

  • Pan Hua, Head of representative office Shanghai

    The Port of Hamburg has always been one of the most important trade hubs in Europe for Chinese companies. Around a dozen liner services link Hamburg directly with Chinese ports, while the continental railway connections have been improved constantly in the last years. Hamburg is now one of the leading destinations for trains travelling to Europe via the New Silk Road. The Hamburg Liaison Office China located in Shanghai actively supports this development and is available for inquiries from interested companies and organisations

  • Axel Mattern,CEO

    Hamburg is Europe’s leading railway port. Naturally,its excellent position as a transport hub also contributes to all rail connections with China. 100,0 TEU or more have been transported via the New Silk Road between various destinations in the People's Republic and Hamburg in the last years. We see that there is further potential for growth. Hamburg and its logistics companies are in any case prepared to further intensify cooperation with partners and friends from China.

Contact persons in the Representative Offices

    • Pan Hua

      Pan Hua

      Chief Representative China, Japan & Korea

      +86 21 6875 8705

      eMail

    • Anne Thiesen

      Anne Thiesen

      Representative Hong Kong, South China & South-East Asia

      +852 2522 5268

      eMail

  • Contact persons in Hamburg

    • Mathias Schulz

      Mathias Schulz

      Director Communications

      +49 40 37709 114

      eMail

    • Inga Gurries

      Inga Gurries

      Head of Market Development Asia/Project Manager

      +49 40 37709 173

      eMail