The siding of the precast concrete plant of Max Bögl in Hamminkeln is served as necessary to supply materials for construction projects, mostly tunnels, by trains operated by Bocholter Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH on behalf of DB Schenker.
As a result it was proposed the new railway would run from Amsterdam via Amersfoort, Isselburg, Hamminkeln, Wesel and Duisburg to Cologne, avoiding large cities such as Utrecht and Arnhem in order to minimise the risk of floods disrupting the line.
Thunderbike was founded in 1985, as a Suzuki dealer named Motorradschuppen (eng.: motorcycle shed) in the small town of Hamminkeln in western Germany.