Hamburger Rail Service

What Hamburger Rail Service does

Hamburger Rail Service GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German railway services company headquartered in Ahrensburg (near Hamburg) and registered in Lübeck. Founded on April 1, 2011 by Adem Gü laz as a sole proprietorship and incorporated as a GmbH & Co. KG on January 2, 2012, the company operates as a licensed Eisenbahnverkehrsunternehmen (public railway transport company) under approval from the Eisenbahnbundesamt. Its core business spans rail freight transport planning and execution, construction site logistics, shunting services, wagon master services, and—most strategically—qualified railway personnel leasing under an unlimited Arbeitnehmerüberlassung permit.

The company's product portfolio covers six core service lines: Transportleistungen (spot and regular rail freight transport), Baustellenlogistik (construction site logistics including traction and personnel), Rangierleistungen (shunting), Wagenmeisterleistungen (wagon master services), Personalgestellung (railway personnel staffing), and a 24/7 Wagenmeisternotdienst (emergency wagon master service) covering eight northern German cities. Service delivery relies on an integrated management system certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, plus a §7 AEG safety certificate, SQAS, and Entsorgungsfachbetrieb certifications. The group has expanded through wholly owned subsidiaries: HRS Shunting (shunting operations), HRS Cleaning (railway cleaning), and the Eisenbahn-Akademie/Eiba (in-house training academy), creating a vertically integrated rail services platform.

Hamburger Rail Service generates revenue primarily through professional services contracts: hourly-based personnel leasing billed weekly under iGZ collective wage agreements (with night, shift, Sunday, and holiday surcharges), plus direct placement mediation fees structured as 200x the agreed net hourly rate. Go-to-market is sales-led direct B2B targeting German railway companies, construction firms, logistics companies, and industrial operators with private sidings. Customer segments span three primary verticals (railway companies, construction companies, logistics companies) plus industrial sidings as a secondary segment. The company operates a 24/7 dispatch center, markets through its website and social channels (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram under @wirsindamzug), and recruits actively through its dedicated jobs portal.

Name

Hamburger Rail Service

Legal name

Hamburger Rail Service GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://www.hamburgerrailservice.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hamburger Rail Service is a privately held German railway services company headquartered in Ahrensburg that provides rail freight transport, shunting, construction site logistics, wagon master services, and qualified railway personnel leasing to railway companies, construction firms, logistics operators, and industrial clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Freight Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882), Rail Transportation (482), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013), Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Terminal Switching, Shunting & Yard Locomotive Services (TLAJAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Terminal Railroads (Plant/Port Switching) (TLADACAJ), Rail Freight Yard Operations (Classification, Hump & Flat Yards) (TLAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Rail freight transport
• Shunting services
• Railway personnel leasing
• Construction site logistics
• Wagon master services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ahrensburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Personnel Leasing (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung): Provision of qualified railway personnel including shunting assistants, train drivers, wagon masters, locomotive drivers, dispatchers, and logistics specialists for extended periods or shifts. The company has an unlimited permit for commercial personnel leasing since March 22, 2012.
2. Transport Services: Planning and execution of rail transports for spot and regular traffic, including concept development, special transport planning, and transport coordination.
3. Construction Site Logistics: Provision of traction and wagon space, development of operational flow plans, coordination of construction site logistics, and personnel provision for construction sites.
4. Shunting Services: Composition and dissolution of freight trains, repositioning of locomotives or wagon groups, provision/collection of wagons at loading facilities/sidings, and workshop transfers.
5. Wagon Master Services: Provision of qualified wagon master personnel throughout Germany, including 24/7 emergency wagon master service in Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Bremerhaven, Kiel, Lübeck, Göttingen, and Osnabrück.
6. Personnel Recruitment/Placement: Direct placement of railway personnel after temporary assignment period, with mediation fees based on net hourly rate calculations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hamburger Rail Service is a German railway transport company (Eisenbahnverkehrsunternehmen) that plans and executes rail freight transports, provides construction site logistics, performs shunting operations, supplies qualified wagon master personnel, and offers 24/7 emergency wagon master coverage across northern Germany. The company also leases qualified railway personnel (shunting assistants, train drivers, wagon masters, locomotive drivers, dispatchers, and logistics specialists) to railway operators, logistics firms, and construction companies.

Product overview

Hamburger Rail Service is an Eisenbahnverkehrsunternehmen (railway transport company) offering a comprehensive suite of rail operations and logistics services. The portfolio centers on core railway operations including transport services, construction site logistics, shunting, wagon inspection, personnel staffing, and 24/7 emergency services. The company also operates affiliated brands including HRS Cleaning and the Eisenbahn-Akademie (Railway Academy), providing cleaning services and railway training respectively. Services are delivered through qualified railway personnel and operate around the clock, serving customers across Germany with a focus on Northern Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HRS Shunting: Shunting and railway operations services
• HRS Cleaning
• Eisenbahn-Akademie (Eiba)

Products and services

• Transport Services (Transportleistungen) Planning and execution of rail freight transports for spot and regular traffic, including concept development tailored to customer needs, extraordinary transport planning, and complete transport coordination. Targeted at railway companies, logistics firms, and industrial clients requiring reliable freight rail execution.
• Construction Site Logistics (Baustellenlogistik) Coordinated construction site logistics including provision of traction and wagon capacity, development of operational flow plans, construction site logistics coordination, and personnel provision (Arbeitszugführer, Logistiker, Lotsen). Targeted at construction companies executing rail-related projects.
• Shunting Services (Rangierleistungen) Shunting services including composition and dissolution of freight trains, repositioning of locomotives or wagon groups between station tracks, wagon delivery/pickup at loading facilities and sidings, and workshop transfers of wagons, locomotives, or wagon groups. Targeted at railway operators, industrial sidings, and logistics customers.
• Wagon Master Services (Wagenmeisterleistungen) Provision of qualified wagon master personnel for freight wagon inspection and technical clearance of freight trains throughout Germany. Targeted at railway operators needing certified wagon inspection staff.
• Railway Personnel Leasing (Personalgestellung / Arbeitnehmerüberlassung) Staffing of qualified railway personnel to client companies for short or extended periods, including shunting assistants (Rangierbegleiter), work train managers (Arbeitszugführer), wagon masters, train drivers (Triebfahrzeugführer), shunting leaders (Lokrangierführer), logisticians, and rail dispatchers. Targeted at railway operators, logistics companies, and construction firms with temporary personnel needs.
• 24/7 Emergency Wagon Master Service (Wagenmeisternotdienst) Round-the-clock emergency wagon master personnel service covering Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Bremerhaven, Kiel, Lübeck, Göttingen, and Osnabrück. Targeted at railway operators and logistics clients requiring urgent wagon inspection coverage outside standard hours.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HRS CleaningminorOthersSubsidiary company specializing in railway cleaning services. Part of the HRS group of companies offering complementary services to core railway operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Havelländische Eisenbahn (HVLE): HVLE is a German private freight rail operator headquartered in Berlin that provides rail freight transport, shunting, and personnel services across northern and eastern Germany. Like HRS, it is a medium-sized specialized EVU competing for non-Class I contract work and industrial sidings, making it the most direct operational peer.
• ITL Eisenbahngesellschaft: ITL is a Germany-based private rail freight and shunting operator offering transport services, locomotive provision, and crew leasing to industrial and logistics customers. Its business model — combining traction, shunting, and personnel services for non-Class I clients — closely mirrors Hamburger Rail Service's offering.
• PRESS Eisenbahn GmbH: PRESS is a German independent railway group providing freight transport, shunting, and rail-related services including personnel leasing through subsidiaries. Its diversified service structure and German focus make it a comparable mid-market EVU peer for HRS.
• Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH: Lokomotion is a Munich-based independent rail freight operator specializing in traction and crew services for cross-border and domestic freight. Its traction-plus-crew offering for third-party operators is closely comparable to HRS's combination of transport, shunting, and personnel leasing.
• Wiebe Holding GmbH & Co. KG: Wiebe is a German rail services group providing rail construction logistics, freight transport, shunting, and personnel leasing across northern Germany. Its construction-site rail logistics (Baustellenlogistik) business directly overlaps with HRS's flagship offering and serves a similar customer base.
• Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn (WLE): WLE is a regional German railway operator providing freight transport, shunting, and infrastructure services in North Rhine-Westphalia. As a similarly sized German private EVU with a comparable regional-focused service portfolio, it is a relevant comparable for HRS.

Broad incumbents

• Netinera Deutschland GmbH: Netinera is a larger Italian-owned German rail group operating multiple regional passenger and freight EVUs as well as shunting and logistics services. As a broader incumbent in the same niche, it competes with HRS for personnel, shunting contracts, and customer mindshare across Germany.
• Transdev GmbH (Germany): Transdev is a major international mobility operator with substantial German rail and bus operations, including freight-related and personnel services. While broader in scope, it competes with HRS for qualified railway personnel and offers a sense of the scaled incumbent tier that HRS operates alongside.
• Captrain Deutschland GmbH: Captrain is the rail freight and logistics subsidiary of SNCF Group in Germany, offering freight transport, shunting, and rail logistics services. As a large-scale competitor in the same shunting and freight market, it sets the competitive ceiling for HRS's addressable opportunities.

Regional players

• RheinCargo GmbH & Co. KG: RheinCargo operates rail freight, port logistics, and shunting services in the Cologne/Düsseldorf region through industrial sidings and terminals. While focused on the Rhineland rather than northern Germany, it competes in the same niche (shunting, construction logistics, personnel leasing) and is a useful regional benchmark for HRS's service economics.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtDkoOkNryIY0n0G_FdyxRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/wirsindamzug
• Instagraminstagram.com/hamburgerrailservice

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hamburger Rail Service