Clear environmental gains from Port of Göteborg rail investment

42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That was the quantity of emissions saved last year by goods arriving at the Port of Göteborg by rail instead of by road. The volume of goods carried by rail to the Port of Göteborg has risen sharply in recent years.

The Port of Göteborg is investing heavily in expanding rail traffic to and from the port. Last year 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide were saved by transporting goods in and out of the Port of Göteborg by rail instead of by road. This is equivalent to 200,000 flights between Göteborg and Stockholm or the annual emissions from 14,000 passenger cars.

Together with rail operators, industrial companies, forwarding agents, shipping lines and the National Rail Administration, the port has built up a system of rail shuttles. Ten years ago the first shuttle began operating to Karlstad. The number has now risen to 22, with daily departures to 21 towns in Sweden (Västerås has two).

Rail shuttles make it possible to establish a direct route between towns throughout Sweden and the largest port in the Nordic region. Instead of the companies themselves moving their freight to the port, it is driven to the nearest inland terminal before being loaded onto a train bound for Göteborg.

"In reality we see no limit to this explosive rate of development. The demand for rail shuttles is enormous. Certain shipping lines even insist that their goods are forwarded by rail," says Eric Nilsson, head of the Port of Göteborg Rail Center (PGRC).

Last year, PGRC handled 190,000 containers. In seven years volumes have more than trebled and each month new records are set. In total, 38 per cent of container goods to the Port of Göteborg arrive by rail shuttle, a figure that is unique by international standards.

"The rate of increase would be even greater if it weren't for our limited capacity to receive the goods. This is something we are working steadfastly to improve. Investment in the infrastructure in the form of more and better tracks is also necessary to meet the demand," says Eric Nilsson.

The shuttles
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 and Vaggeryd.

For further information, please contact Cecilia Carlsson, Media Relations Officer, Port of Göteborg, tel. +46 (0)31-7312245.

Factfile: Port of Göteborg
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.