Gothenburg’s rail shuttles slash emissions

The volume of goods carried by rail to the Port, the largest in the Nordic region, has risen sharply in recent years, and it is investing heavily to expand its rail traffic. Together with rail operators, industrial companies, forwarding agents, shipping lines and the National Rail Administration, it has built up a system of rail shuttles over the past 10 years. The first shuttle began operating to Karlstad, and the number has now risen to 22, with daily departures to 21 towns in Sweden. 



The rail shuttles provide a direct link between the Port and towns throughout Sweden. Rather than companies moving their freight to the Port themselves, it is driven to the nearest inland terminal before being loaded onto a train bound for Gothenburg. 


“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,” said Eric Nilsson, head of the Port of Gothenburg Rail Centre (PGRC). 
Last year, the PGRC handled 190,000 containers. In seven years its volumes have more than trebled and 38 per cent of containerised goods now arrive at the Port by rail shuttle, a unique figure by international standards.