At a length of 325km, the Midland Canal is the longest man-made waterway in Germany and, as one of the waterways linking the Rhine and Oder rivers, one of the country’s most important transport channels. This makes it a vital artery for the export of grain, for instance, and a direct route to the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. With the loading and unloading facilities for train wagons, mobile crane and storage areas, the port in Haldensleben is well equipped for combined road, rail and waterway freight transport. A second inland port is under construction here and there are further trans-shipment centres in Bülstringen, in the Vahldorf industrial site and in Calvörde. Barleben and Wolmirstedt also benefit from their proximity to the Magdeburg waterway junction.