Late decisions apply the brakes to train traffic

Rail traffic challenges have not gone unnoticed in the last year, with a train plan that resulted in major challenges for private individuals as well as freight carriers. APM Terminals Gothenburg spoke to Ancotrans and Vänerexpressen to find out how the problems have affected their supply chains and what they're expecting from Train Plan 2024 (T24).

In December 2022, the Swedish Transport Administration launched a new train planning system with the aim of creating better conditions for planning and making space for both traffic and track work. But as is often the case when new technical systems are implemented, several disruptions took place.

Modernisation and upgrading important for the future of the railway

Prior to T23, when the railway experienced the biggest progress in the history of freight transport, a new planning system was implemented. A number of extensive track works affected traffic flows. This applied the brakes for train operators and their customers, as confirmed by the train dispatcher Vänerexpressen, which handles 22 departures a week from APM Terminals in Gothenburg.

'Planning for T23 was severely delayed and we only got our timetable two weeks before the trains were due to start rolling. Late decisions have been a major challenge this year and caused sluggishness in the system, where we were sometimes forced to cancel trains and find other solutions with higher costs. The difficulty of getting ad-hoc times means that we're careful about accepting new customers,' says Per Kristiansson, CEO of Vänerexpressen.

'At the same time, I would like to point out that both a more modern planning system and upgrading the railway are necessary in order to meet expectations and the demand for rail transport,' he continues.

'I also want to give a huge thanks to the railways team at APM Terminals. Without the huge amount of flexibility they bring, we would have missed a lot of departures. APM Terminals were an important element in making sure things worked as well as they did this year.'

Expect additional costs and environmental impact up to autumn

The container transport company Ancotrans, which also has daily departures to and from APM Terminals Gothenburg, is facing the same challenges.

'The train operator who plans our departures has had difficulty planning the right capacity and getting extra trains at short notice. This means that we’re forced to redirect a lot of goods to trucks, which results in major additional costs and, of course, climate impact,' says Daniel Karlsson, Branch Manager at Ancotrans. Without APM Terminals’ flexible rail operations, this year would have been even more challenging.

'Several major track works will be finished by midsummer, so according to our forecast everything will be back to normal again in the autumn. There's a lot of pressure on rail solutions, and together with our partners we're offering a really good product, so we expect volumes to recover,' he concludes.