Ferries for Wilhelmsburg

There is a special cause for celebration at the close of the year: on 6 December 2012 the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg 2013 marked the launch of the ferry link to Wilhelmsburg. Today saw the maiden voyage of HADAG ferry 73 from the St Pauli Landungsbrücken (landing stages) to the newly constructed mooring pontoon at the Ernst-August Lock in Klütjenfelder Hafen. Director of the IBA Uli Hellweg, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Innovation Minister Frank Horch, Member of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) Management Committee Tino Klemm, and Director of the State Agency of Roads, Bridges, and Water Hans-Jochen Hinz performed the official inauguration of the mooring pontoon.

From 10 December 2012 HADAG ferries will ply line 73 from the new Ernst-August Lock mooring jetty 22 times per day from Monday to Friday. The 15-minute journey time means that all passengers have a fast yet inexpensive alternative to travelling via bus route 13 and the S-Bahn. After alighting, it takes visitors, tourists, people from Hamburg, and local residents around 10 minutes to reach the centre of the lively Reiherstieg district on foot.

Hamburg, 6 December 2012: “A fantastic local public transport network is crucial to the success of the “Leap across the Elbe“.  The northern part of the Reiherstieg district, plus residents and businesses in the vicinity of the mooring jetty, will benefit particularly from the extension of ferry route 73 to Wilhelmsburg,“ said Frank Horch, Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, and Innovation.

The launch of the ferry service is another important building block in the IBA’s “Opening the Spreehafen“ project. According to Hans-Jochen Hinz, Director of the State Agency for Roads, Bridges, and Water, “Thanks to the new Ernst-August Lock mooring dock, Wilhelmsburg will become a more integrated part of the city centre and the island will finally be able to be accessed by the public via the water. Passengers will be able to use a Hamburg Transport Association ticket, making this form of transport a good alternative for both Wilhelmsburg residents and visitors to the international exhibitions that will take place over the coming year.“

The State Agency for Roads, Bridges, and Water is creating new access points to allow pedestrians and cyclists to get close to the water, on the basis of a proposal by the IBA Hamburg and with funding by the State Ministry for Urban Development and  Environment. A bend in the Spreehafen (the “Spreehafen’s knee“) will be the site for outside steps, ramps, and a new set of traffic lights, creating a link to Stübenplatz, at the heart of the Reiherstieg district. In addition, two other crossing points over the dykes along Harburger Chaussee and a new set of pedestrian lights will allow easier access to the waterfront.

“The idea of making Wilhelmsburg more accessible from the water is nothing new. As part of the “Ideas for Veddel and the Spreehafen“, a call for projects made by the IBA, Wilhelmsburg residents voiced this suggestion and planted the seed for this initiative to be implemented here. With the inauguration of the new mooring dock today and the launch of the ferry service to Wilhelmsburg we are seeing both the wishes of the residents fulfilled and the Wilhelmsburg district becoming more closely tied to the city centre," said IBA Director Uli Hellweg.

This additional public transport link, which complements existing bus and railway services, now makes it easier to reach the Reiherstieg district in Wilhelmsburg from Hamburg’s city centre, via the Elbe. In future all Hamburg residents, tourists, and visitors to the  IBA Hamburg will be able to opt to travel by the HADAG ferry to the Elbe islands, which will be integrated into Hamburg’s transport network.

The ferry will transport passengers from the northern to the southern bank of the Elbe 22 times every weekday. In addition, the Maritime Circle Line will now stop at the new jetty on its circular route around the harbour and transport passengers to Wilhelmsburg.

Tino Klemm, Member of the Hamburg Port Authority Management Committee, said “I am today delighted to be here to assist in launching the 19th ferry jetty in Hamburg's harbour.  The Ernst-August Lock in Klütjenfelder Hafen marks the forging of another important link between the northern bank of the Elbe and southern Hamburg."

The decision to extend HADAG ferry line 73 was crucial for the mooring dock project. The start of the winter timetable for 2012 will see the ferry route connect this point with St Pauli in 15 minutes, charging the standard Hamburg Transport Network fare. The ferry will run 22 times every day from Monday to Friday, taking 40 minutes. Unlike on the bus or train, passengers will be able to take their bicycles with them at any time of day, so that they can cycle on both sides of the Elbe. The route from the Ernst-August Lock jetty to Stübenplatz is a 10-minute walk.

There is some history behind this route to Wilhelmsburg and thus the “Leap across the Elbe“: the idea for a ferry was also raised in the time of Napoleon, when the Spreehafen was occupied by the French.

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IBA Hamburg GmbH, Kristina Hödl, Head of Press Department, kristina.hoedl@iba-hamburg.de, Tel.: 040 / 226 227 335, or Anna Vietinghoff, Press Department, anna.vietinghoff@iba-hamburg.de, Tel: 040 / 226 227 – 331, or email presse@iba-hamburg.de