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Hamburg’s local public transport is becoming even more digital: Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (FHH) are extending their Smart City partnership agreed in 2017 by five years. To this end, Hamburg’s First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher and Ronald Pofalla, Member of the DB Board of Management responsible for Infrastructure, signed a «Memorandum of Understanding» today. Together, the two partners want to use digital technologies and innovative ideas to make public transportation and train stations more attractive for customers. The concrete measures include new monitors for better passenger information, optimised route guidance for easier orientation, digital lockers and a larger number of stations for cyclists, for example additional Bike+Ride and StadtRAD stations.
Ronald Pofalla, DB Board Member for Infrastructure: «The demand for the ioki Hamburg shuttle alone shows that, together with the City of Hamburg, we have created a great offer for our customers. I am delighted that we are now continuing this successful partnership. Digitalization is the main driver that will enable us to make rail travel even more attractive for our customers. We will present another milestone at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg in a year’s time: Then the first suburban trains will run highly automated.”
Dr. Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: «The improvement of mobility is a central topic of the Hamburg Senate. In the Smart City partnership with Deutsche Bahn, we are implementing innovation projects that make local public transport more reliable, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly. With self-propelled trains and buses, networking of the various services and modes of transport, and new services such as the ‘Hamburg Box’, Hamburg is becoming a model city for the mobility of the future and a pioneer in the digitization of rail transport.”
Dr. Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility Turnaround of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: «The Smart City Partnership is a central element of the mobility turnaround in Hamburg. We want to convince people to change and that is why an intelligent crosslinking of the offerings is crucial. Innovative traffic concepts and traffic solutions will increasingly become an image and location factor for cities. With Deutsche Bahn we have a strong partner with whom we can jointly make Hamburg more attractive as a location in this respect – among other things with the first digital suburban train.»
Since the beginning of the partnership three years ago, several projects have already been successfully started or implemented:
The «Digital S-Bahn Hamburg«:
Starting in 2021, four trains of the S21 and S2 lines will run highly and fully automated on the 23 km long route between the Berliner Tor and Aumühle stations. This will enable trains to run at closer intervals and with greater reliability.
The ioki Hamburg Shuttle:
The shuttle service for bridging the first and last mile to the existing public transport system has established itself in the last two years as a fixed mobility component in the city: The emission-free and accessible service already counts over 400,000 passengers and has saved over 250 tons of carbon dioxide.
Dammtor station:
DB and FHH have already implemented numerous projects at Dammtor station, which will serve as the gateway to the World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in 2021, to make the station more attractive for travelers. These include the Hamburg Box, where customers can pick up their pre-ordered goods, newly designed showcases or an audiovisual art installation that creates a special atmosphere. In time for ITS, the waiting area on the platform will also receive a refurbishment.
