2019-02-19

Rail freight traffic to Port of Gothenburg on the rise

In 2018, 398,000 TEU was transported to or from the port by rail. These figures were the strongest in the final quarter of the year when container freight transported by rail increased by as much as 27 per cent.

“The increasing re-emergence of long-haul freight is a clear signal that confidence in the container terminal is growing throughout Sweden,” says Claes Sundmark, Vice President Business Area Container, RoRo & Rail at the Port of Gothenburg.

The rail container volume in and out of the Port of Gothenburg increased by 13 per cent for the year. The volume gained ground during the year, performing most strongly in the final quarter, when it increased by as much as 27 per cent.

This gain can be contrasted with the volume loss that occurred in the context of the labour market conflicts that impacted the Port of Gothenburg container terminal in 2017. Since then, volumes have recovered gradually – both short-haul truck volume and rail freight, which is often long-haul.

“The short-haul freight came back early on, while long-haul rail freight took a little longer. The increasing re-emergence of rail freight is a clear signal that confidence in the container terminal is growing throughout Sweden,” says Claes Sundmark, Vice President Business Area Container, RoRo & Rail at the Port of Gothenburg.

Long-haul export freight often consists of products from Swedish basic industries such as steel, paper and wood. These are usually shipped from Sweden’s interior to the east coast or the Port of Gothenburg for sea transport and then on to export markets in Continental Europe.

The freight often needs to be reloaded into containers in one of the Port of Gothenburg's three reloading terminals adjacent to the container terminal. Most sawn wood products switching between train and ship in the Port of Gothenburg are reloaded by operator Mimab. These reloading operations were up approximately 20 per cent for full year 2018 compared with the previous year, and Mimab also reported the highest volume in the fourth quarter.

“We had a very good year and an especially busy autumn, and the high-volume trend has continued into 2019. Additionally, we do not see any indication of a slowdown in the future. In fact, we see potential for further gains,” says Michael Bergman, CEO of Mimab.

SweMaint AB is Northern Europe’s leading supplier of maintenance and repair services for wagon owners and other rail freight operators. Strategically located at Sweden’s major nodes, from Malmö in the south to Kiruna in the north, we offer a complete and nearly nationwide service offering that includes preventive wagon maintenance, wheel maintenance, corrective repairs and a comprehensive supply of materials.

Our very own wheel supply programme has you got you covered at 30 unique locations – in addition, we have 40 mobile workshops on standby for urgent corrective maintenance out on the rails and effective 24/7 rerailing and clearance. Altogether, this ensures fast lead times according to our motto, “Less downtime = more profit for our customers”.

Our extensive experience – we have been in business since 1905 – combined with our systematic development of our offering with a focus on adding value for customers gives us a unique position and platform to promote rail freight as the strongest and most competitive choice.

Based in Gothenburg, the company boasts sales of around SEK 400 million and has around 250 employees in 12 workshops at Sweden’s major rail nodes. SweMaint AB has been owned by Malmö-based Kockums Industrier since 2007.