240 emission-free buses can be accommodated at the new Alsterdorf bus depot which was opened in April 2019 in Hamburg. It is Germany’s first bus depot designed for purely emission-free buses.

The vehicles will be recharged overnight. This will be done by the first Hochbahn-owned substation, which converts the 110 kV voltage into the required 20 kV. The construction of the bus depot was funded in the amount of 6.3 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure under the Mobility and Fuel Strategy of the federal government.

Covering 45,000 square metres, the most modern bus depot in Europe has been developed at the “triangular junction” (Gleisdreieck) in Alsterdorf between the U1 subway, the train (S-Bahn) and the freight bypass track. The buses stand under six carports and are provided with compressed air and electricity when they are not in route operation. HOCHBAHN’S growing electric bus fleet will be “refuelled” with green electricity in future. The construction of this infrastructure is very timely for the future e-bus fleet in Hamburg. From 2020 onwards, only emission-free buses will be ordered.