SmartPORT traffic hub - The prospects for an intermodal port of the future

Abstract

Due to the political geography of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the physical limits of the area covered by the Port of Hamburg present special challenges. On the one hand, handling capacities will have to be increased substantially on an area that is virtually impossible to enlarge. On the other hand, for the future the port needs to develop in terms of quality from being merely a handling base to a hub for innovative industrial and service companies and for universities and non-academic research facilities. An important task for Hamburg as a commercial base will also be to develop new, data-driven business models. By launching the smartPORT initiative, Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is creating the conditions for boosting the efficiency of the port from an economic and ecological perspective by providing intelligent, digital solutions for the flow of traffic and goods. In the future, the Port Traffic Center will integrate the traffic information from all water-, rail- and road-bound carriers and control all forms of transportation in order to guarantee optimum traffic flows in the port. Regarding the infrastructure, digital, sensor-based solutions will make maintenance on and management of port railway facilities, bridges and locks, more efficient and cost-effective. The following chapter outlines the status quo of traffic- and infrastructure-management at the Port of Hamburg and gives an insight into the HPA's strategic planning.