The Norwegian rail freight haulier Cargonet has connected the Port of Gothenburg's Arken Intermodal Terminal with Oslo, running a 580 m-long train in both directions once per week.

The shuttles arrive in Gothenburg on Wednesdays in the afternoon with Norwegian exports. The same evening the train is loaded with import goods that reach Oslo next morning.

Some 2,000 trucks/year are expected to be taken out of the road linking Gothenburg with Norway's capital. This will effect in reducing CO₂ emissions by 724kt.

"Our experience is that demand for an environmentally friendly transport solution between Oslo and the Port of Gothenburg has increased in recent years. With our broad range of services we can ensure effective transport to and from all the major cities in Norway and we are extremely pleased that we can now offer our customers this service all the way down to Gothenburg," Erik Røhne, Chief Executive, Cargonet, underlined.

To this Claes Sundmark, Vice President, Business Area Container, RoRo & Rail, the Gothenburg Port Authority, added, "The demand for rail transport is continuing to grow, and a further increase will help us achieve our highly ambitious climate goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 70 per cent by 2030. It is a natural progression for us to continue investing offensively in rail services in partnership with our terminals and rail operators."

Mikael Grankvist, Product Manager, Cargonet, also commented, "We began operating tentatively last week and we have had a great response from the market. We have noticed how many are looking for dependable, climate-smart solutions and there is every opportunity to increase traffic volumes on this route in the future."

Photo: Cargonet