Transport in Hamburg comprises an extensive, rail system, subway system, airports and maritime services for the more than 1.8 million inhabitants of the city of Hamburg and 5.3 million people in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.
Since the Middle Ages, as a Hanseatic City one part of Hamburg's transport was the economic trade with other cities or regions. In 2008, the port of Hamburg was the second-largest port in Europe. Hamburg is connected to four motorways and in Hamburg proper are two airports. The Hamburg traffic group Hamburger Verkehrsverbund was the first organisation of its kind in the world and in 2008, was in charge for the public transport management in three German states. In 2007, more than 618 million passengers used bus, rapid transit, ferries or light rail.