The Ulm-Dornstadt container terminal has expanded, with Deutsche Bahn opening an additional storage area that adds approximately 38,000 square meters to the site’s logistics infrastructure.

Archive photo of the Ulm-Dornstadt container terminal
Archive photo of the Ulm-Dornstadt container terminal. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Ödenstein / CC BY-SA 4.0

The newly commissioned yard⁠ is intended for the storage of both empty and loaded containers. It also supports the development of combined transport, where freight movements are integrated between rail and road.

New storage yard supports combined transport

Ralf-Günter Kloß, executive manager at DB Cargo responsible for the Combined Transport Division, said:

“With the new storage area at the Ulm Dornstadt container terminal, we are creating space today for tomorrow’s volumes. In this way, we are strengthening combined transport in the region and making logistics more predictable for our customers,”

The added area corresponds to more than five soccer fields and gives the terminal more room for container storage. The project was completed in under nine months, according to Deutsche Bahn.

Local authorities also pointed to the importance of the expansion for the regional economy. Ulm Mayor Martin Ansbacher said:

“Containers are the shopping carts of our strong regional economy and a symbol of the export-oriented industry between the Alb and Oberschwaben. We are pleased to support the expansion of DB Intermodal Services’ capacity. It’s a good day for climate-friendly rail transport,”

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Officials opening the new container storage area at Ulm-Dornstadt
Officials at the opening of the additional container storage area at Ulm-Dornstadt. Photo: Deutsche Bahn AG / Daniela Schad

Ulm-Dornstadt container terminal set for wider expansion

The expansion allows greater flexibility in container handling, reducing the risk of logistics bottlenecks and improving the stability of supply chains.

The project is part of the wider expansion of the Ulm-Dornstadt terminal. By 2028, the site’s capacity for transferring freight between road and rail is planned to more than double.

Together with the additional storage area, the terminal is positioned as an important logistics hub within the European combined transport network.

The Ulm-Dornstadt expansion fits into a wider DB Intermodal Services portfolio for combined transport. DB Cargo describes the company as a Deutsche Bahn subsidiary whose services include empty and loaded container depots in Germany, transhipment terminal operations, terminal holdings, container maintenance, container trading, trucking and factory logistics services.

Its 2023 company presentation listed 10 container depots, one transhipment terminal, six terminal holdings in Germany and two abroad. This context explains why the new storage area is presented alongside road-rail transfer capacity and terminal expansion, rather than only as additional depot space.

DB Intermodal Services⁠, which belongs to the Deutsche Bahn Group, is responsible for container storage and logistics services at the site. Its work supports the integration of rail transport with maritime and road networks at a strategic freight transport hub in the region.

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