Port of Gothenburg launches new rail shuttle for Swedish forest products

The Port of Gothenburg has launched a new rail shuttle transporting Swedish forest products destined for Asian markets.

The rail shuttle, which came into operation on 10 April 2021, will make a round trip to the Port of Gothenburg scheduled each week.

After making the 1400-kilometre journey from the town of Piteå just south of the Arctic Circle, the trains roll directly into the Port of Gothenburg container terminal, which is operated by APM Terminals (APMT). From there, the cargo can be loaded directly on ships for further transport out into the world.

The train will carry 72 TEU of Swedish products and is 500m long. The service is expected to provide a reduction of 83% in carbon emissions compared to the previous route, which shipped from from Piteå via the Baltic Sea using smaller feeder vessels. Transloading then took place at ports in central Europe.

In combination with frequent feeder services from the Port of Gothenburg and direct services to Asia, the transport time will be cut by 5-7 days comparted to the previous arrangement.

Nikolas Rowland, MD of First Row Shipping and Logistics, the forwarding company behind the shuttle, said, “There are considerable environmental benefits to be gained with this shuttle. It also offers access to the port’s extensive service network with frequent departures.

“Good availability of empty containers at the Port of Gothenburg enhances reliability even further. Other shuttle movements to and from the Port of Gothenburg are seen to be working very well, which is reassuring.”

CFL Cargo Sweden wil operate the shuttle service. The firm is responsible for a number of the 25 rail shuttles linking the port with Scandinavia.

Mikael Nyman, Senior Sales Manager at CFL Cargo Sweden, said, “The Port of Gothenburg has been a major destination for us for many years and we are extremely pleased to be able to add yet another new, long distance route.”

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/port-of-gothenburg-launches-new-rail-shuttle-for-swedish-forest-products/