Throughput of the port of Gothenburg is to grow two- or three-fold within 10 years due to development of railway transportation, PortNews IAA learnt from the port’s press center. In view of railway transportation development, the port’s management plans to establish two new freight shuttles per year, to existing and new locations. According to the port’s press center, the port now has 70 train departures a day, of which 46 are operated for the oil, petroleum, chemical, paper and steel industries, and the remaining 24 are container shuttles. Rail freight at the Gothenburg port today has a 37% market share for containers, and the target is to reach 50% or 500,000 teu a year by 2012.
The port’s press center says dynamic development of railway transportation is to facilitate growth of throughput. It is also to decrease transportation costs, simplify customs procedures and contribute to environment protection. Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region. Some 70% of container traffic in Sweden passes through the Port of Gothenburg. In 2007 the port handled 841,000 TEU, 19.8 million tonnes of oil, 626,000 ro-ro units.