The volume of goods transported by rail to and from the Port of Göteborg has increased steadily in recent years. Today there are 22 rail shuttles that depart each day, bound for various locations in Sweden. The port has now gone one step further in its rail investment by launching RailPort Scandinavia. The aim is to link the shuttle locations more closely to the port. First in line is Vaggeryd, a small town in southern Sweden.
The Port of Göteborg has worked together with rail operators, forwarders, shipping lines, the National Rail Administration and the Swedish import and export industry to build up a system of rail shuttles. Ten years ago the first shuttle, Vänerexpressen, began operating to Karlstad. Today there are 22 rail shuttles with daily departures to 20 towns in Sweden. The rail shuttles allow direct links to be maintained between towns throughout Sweden and the largest port in the Nordic region.
The investment has proved to be a success. In six years the volumes have more than trebled and each month new records are set. Apart from the significant environmental benefits - last year the shuttles saved 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted - the freight trains also mean lower transport costs for the companies and in particular new job opportunities.
To ensure that the increase in rail-bound freight traffic can continue the Port of Göteborg is now launching a new concept - RailPort Scandinavia. The aim is to bring the shuttle centres' inland terminals closer to the port by allowing them to handle customs clearance, storage, documentation and other services.
The first town to be integrated with the Port of Göteborg is the inland terminal at Vaggeryd, approximately 200 km east of Göteborg. The agreement has just been signed at the Transport and Logistics Fair in Göteborg.
"The demand for rail shuttles is enormous and in effect only infrastructure limitations could in the long term pose a threat to expansion. RailPort Scandinavia is a means of facilitating logistics, reducing costs and increasing capacity. Other shuttle locations will follow suit," says Eric Nilsson, head of Port of Göteborg Rail Center (PGRC).
At present the Port of Göteborg has shuttles to Stockholm/Södertälje, Eskilstuna, Norrköping, Gävle, Borlänge, Helsingborg, Västerås (2), Insjön, Nässjö, Göteborg, Karlstad, Åmål, Avesta, Hällefors, Örebro, Motala, Uddevalla, Falköping, Åhus, Halmstad, Vaggeryd and Vännäs (Umeå).
The Port of Göteborg is the largest port in the Nordic region and the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the largest transocean container vessels. Some 70 per cent of container traffic in Sweden passes through the Port of Göteborg. For Swedish industry, proximity to a large international port is vital in order to keep down logistics costs. Within eight years the port plans to double its volumes.
The Port of Göteborg has worked together with rail operators, forwarders, shipping lines, the National Rail Administration and the Swedish import and export industry to build up a system of rail shuttles. Ten years ago the first shuttle, Vänerexpressen, began operating to Karlstad. Today there are 22 rail shuttles with daily departures to 20 towns in Sweden. The rail shuttles allow direct links to be maintained between towns throughout Sweden and the largest port in the Nordic region.
The investment has proved to be a success. In six years the volumes have more than trebled and each month new records are set. Apart from the significant environmental benefits - last year the shuttles saved 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted - the freight trains also mean lower transport costs for the companies and in particular new job opportunities.
To ensure that the increase in rail-bound freight traffic can continue the Port of Göteborg is now launching a new concept - RailPort Scandinavia. The aim is to bring the shuttle centres' inland terminals closer to the port by allowing them to handle customs clearance, storage, documentation and other services.
The first town to be integrated with the Port of Göteborg is the inland terminal at Vaggeryd, approximately 200 km east of Göteborg. The agreement has just been signed at the Transport and Logistics Fair in Göteborg.
"The demand for rail shuttles is enormous and in effect only infrastructure limitations could in the long term pose a threat to expansion. RailPort Scandinavia is a means of facilitating logistics, reducing costs and increasing capacity. Other shuttle locations will follow suit," says Eric Nilsson, head of Port of Göteborg Rail Center (PGRC).
At present the Port of Göteborg has shuttles to Stockholm/Södertälje, Eskilstuna, Norrköping, Gävle, Borlänge, Helsingborg, Västerås (2), Insjön, Nässjö, Göteborg, Karlstad, Åmål, Avesta, Hällefors, Örebro, Motala, Uddevalla, Falköping, Åhus, Halmstad, Vaggeryd and Vännäs (Umeå).
The Port of Göteborg is the largest port in the Nordic region and the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the largest transocean container vessels. Some 70 per cent of container traffic in Sweden passes through the Port of Göteborg. For Swedish industry, proximity to a large international port is vital in order to keep down logistics costs. Within eight years the port plans to double its volumes.