The Port of Hamburg is no longer accepting trains due to ongoing strikes at its terminal facilities. On 29 August, port workers announced the strikes to demand job security amid corporate restructuring.
Rail operator METRANS says that “the Port of Hamburg has issued restrictions and is not accepting trains.” According to the company, delays at terminals have grown beyond 24 hours.
Strikes and infrastructure disruptions have become a frequent occurrence in the Hamburg port. In June, port workers went on strike to secure better collective wage bargaining agreements. Throughout July and August, infrastructure disruptions severely affected rail capacity around the port, leading to rail freight being possible “only in exceptional cases during the day.”
METRANS does not expect the situation to improve in the short term: “We feel that we have reached a state in which we will have to exist in the coming months, mainly because the main railway lines are not prepared for such fluctuations in traffic. Unfortunately, these circumstances have a huge impact on transport costs, which we will no longer be able to absorb in the future.”