Lagerstrecke

Lagerstrecke is a German term used in logistics and transport planning to describe a section of a route or track that is reserved for storage and buffering of goods or rolling stock rather than for continuous circulation. The word combines Lager, storage or depot, and Strecke, distance or section, reflecting its function as a storage segment within a network.

In railway practice, a Lagerstrecke denotes a sequence of tracks near a yard, depot, or station where wagons, locomotives, or other rolling stock can be parked temporarily. Operations on a Lagerstrecke may include shunting, braking, and reclassification, but the movement along this stretch is primarily for positioning rather than service transit. The length and configuration depend on local facilities, fleet size, and scheduling requirements.

In logistics and warehousing contexts, the term is sometimes used to describe the physical or temporal distance that goods must travel from receiving areas to storage locations, or the time goods spend in storage buffers within a distribution network. It can influence route optimization, inventory control, and handling costs.

Because usage is regional and industry-specific, the term is not as common in non-German literature and may be described with equivalent concepts such as storage distance, buffer section, or storage yard in English.

See also: Lager, Strecke, Bahnbetrieb, Rangieren, Lagerung.