The Emsland region is situated in the northwest of Lower-Saxony and borders on the Netherlands. With a surface of about 2,880 square kilometers it is part of the administrative district of Weser-Ems and has a population of 308,000. Emsland has successfully undergone a fundamental change in its economic structure. Instead of agriculture, modern industries and service sector companies dominate the economy today.

In the future the northwest of Germany expects further considerable changes: A general 65 % increase of cargo traffic is expected on German roads and railways till 2015. In consequence the infrastructure will be overcharged. In addition to this, the situation is getting more complex as a new international seaport (JadeWeserPort®) is projected close to the city of Wilhelmshaven. It is imperative to offer an alternative transport network in order to reduce the traffic load of the highly incriminated traffic-axis “Hamburg-Bremen-Osnabrück-Münster” and to strengthen the competition-situation of the JadeWeserPort® and other northwest seaports.

The Emsland wants to position a cargo traffic under sustainability principles by using the existing capacities efficiently and combining different means of transportation. This so-called Ems Axis represents an efficient economic and transport axis in Northwest, which links the highway A 31, the Dortmund-Ems-canal, the twin-tracked railroad-route (over the seaports) and the transport centre Emsland (GVZ) and is suitable as an alternative hinterland-connection to the south and the southwest as a load-carrying harbour-hinterland-binding.

The northern neighbourhood of Emsland is a maritime structured region with the districts of Leer, Aurich, Wittmund, the city of Emden (all together with about 771.000 inhabitants, including the Emsland) and the seaports of Papenburg, Leer and Emden.

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