Berlin forges strategic deal with Hamburg in local transport

The German cities of Berlin and Hamburg have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together on various issues relating to their extensive and well-connected bus and train services.

The core idea of the strategic partnership is to pool the expertise of transport companies, associations and administrations in Berlin and Hamburg in order to work together on sustainable urban mobility solutions.

City administrations

The cities are a conurbation of different needs and challenges. The city administrations are in regular contact, and the approach is intended to deepen cooperation between the transport associations and transport companies on specific topics and to transfer this into coordinated structures.

Against this background, Berlin and Hamburg have decided to tackle issues together in order to learn from each other and solve problems together. These include tasks such as automated driving, design issues in public spaces, for example at bus stops, vehicle procurement requirements or technical issues relating to mobility and sales platforms.

“Together we want to learn from each other and with each other, create more efficient structures and pursue the goal of making the public transport experience even more attractive for passengers in Hamburg and Berlin”

"In close cooperation with the transport companies and our responsible authorities, we are already successfully driving forward intelligent, networked and multimodal mobility solutions in Hamburg and the surrounding area. But the future cross-regional cooperation of the transport associations and companies in Hamburg and Berlin will now enable even more future-oriented mobility,” said Raimund Brodehl, managing director of the Hamburg Transport Association (hvv).

“Together we will be able to better recognise the great mobility potential in the metropolises, which lies, among other things, in the use of autonomous vehicles, the expansion of bus stops into mobility hubs and in digital applications, and in thinking in many directions."