When the Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain lifted in 1989, the political changes in Europe opened vast new opportunities for trade. Yet the sudden freedom of movement also created bottlenecks, particularly on the German-Polish border where trucks often sat in long queues. It was here that Hamburg Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) recognized a chance to redefine freight logistics. The company looked to the railway as the answer and in doing so laid the foundation for becoming a leading European player in intermodal container traffic. Hamburg’s rail port had a broad continental reach that offered a key geographical advantage. The opening of Eastern Europe created a new hinterland, and HHLA seized the opportunity. In 1991, with the liberalization of the EU rail market, HHLA entered a joint venture with the Polish State Railways PKP and freight forwarder Egon Wenk. This marked the beginning of Polzug Polen-Hamburg-Transport GmbH, the first non-railway company permitted to run freight trains on state-owned tracks. Soon after, similar initiatives emerged in Czechoslovakia, spearheaded by Jiri Samek, who founded METRANS in Prague. METRANS introduced the hub-and-shuttle principle, operating both trains and handling terminals, and in doing so created a reliable, high-frequency network that revolutionized container transport. From Hamburg to the Heart of Europe HHLA’s stake in METRANS began in 1995 and grew steadily until the company became its sole owner. Polzug was eventually integrated into METRANS, consolidating HHLA’s intermodal strength. By the new millennium, Hamburg had reclaimed its position as Europe’s leading rail port, with HHLA and METRANS playing pivotal roles in developing routes not only across Europe but also to Asia. In 2008, the Beijing- Hamburg Container Express arrived in less than 15 days, offering a competitive alternative to sea transport. Within a decade, METRANS was managing hundreds of trains linking Europe with China. Today, HHLA’s intermodal network is one of the most comprehensive in Europe. Its seven hub terminals, supported by thirteen satellite terminals and depots in eight countries, manage around 650 trains each week. The network stretches across nineteen national borders, linking the North Sea, Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Sea regions. METRANS has become the backbone of HHLA’s inland operations, with its 2,500 employees ensuring smooth, reliable, and flexible services for customers across the continent.